sol.net

Chucktown, Here I am!

// April 30th, 2008 // Comments Off // Uncategorized

I feel like I haven’t written at all about my experiences here in Charleston, SC since I’ve moved from Eastern North Carolina back in January. So I thought I would at least give a little bit more info since my arrival.

After living with great friends for a few months (Darren & Kim), Sam moved down and we got a place at Colonial Village at Westchase, and while the property management is something to be desired (making empty promises about upgrades, maintenance taking a long time and just being outright rude sometimes), the place is really pretty!

There is a nice pool, workout center, and pond behind our building. This pond has a gazillion turtles living in it, and they are quite tame. If you walk up to the water, the turtles will come in droves, no kidding!

Amaaazing!

I love nature, and you are definitely surrounded by it where I now live.

On the work front, I create websites, which are fun, and get a nice view of Clark Sound and the Morris Island Lighthouse.
Here is the view:

Also, at work, I get to see live raptors catch their prey, including Red Tail hawks, Osprey, and Bald Eagles!! Apparently, there is a Bald Eagle Nest right near where I work, which is sooo awesome!

Yaaay for nature! But I’ve also been working on lots of websites at work such as: Cares Real Estate, David Wertan Real Estate, CF Evans Construction, Charleston’s Museum Mile, Factor Prize, Charleston Surge (Dragonboat)…and the list goes on! It’s really fun and I get to do a lot more ‘development’ than just designing, which I like as well, but it’s nice to be able to dive into code and make the websites do cool things dynamically. I’m learning alot about server administration with mail, web and system servers as well as web services and dns management. So it’s fulfilling and a lot of learning still, but I do get to use all that computer knowledge that has accumulated over the years.

Things to do in my copious free time? Oh yeah! There are so many things to do in this awesome town. Here are a few cool things that I will be attending:

Spoleto USA - an international arts, music, and film festival
Charleston Harborfest 2008 - a festival with tall ships, pirates and more…

We have already been downtown, strolled the Market, looked at the shops, and went to the SC Aquarium. Here are a few shots of Sam and I when we went to the Aquarium:

As you can see, I love it here. I hope to keep better updated with things in the near future!

Until then, I hope everyone is doing well!

Nasa’s World Wind and Environmental Education

// October 16th, 2007 // Comments Off // Uncategorized

So there has been a lot of buzz about Google Earth and how cool it is and everything. I have certainly downloaded it and did the ritual ‘look up your home, friends’ homes, etc’ and found it really cool if you harness the extendability of it…using xml/kml, shapefiles and such. Although I’m probably a little more savvy than the average ‘end user,’ I still find this stuff time consuming and a little steep on my learning curve. And when I say ’stuff,’ I mean fully customizing Google Earth to show things you normally don’t see and such. I guess what I am getting at is that there is a lot you can do with this program (ie. look at cool landmarks, cities, and addresses of your friends), but ‘out-of-the-box’ it doesn’t seem to do much else. Sure it is pretty snappy/fast, and has a very user friendly interface…good overall….but this post wouldnt be titled with, “World Wind” if I were to talk all about Google Earth, now would it?

So here is “World Wind” – a screenshot (click for large view)

At first glance, it seems ordinary when compared to Google Earth, but what I found really appealing about it is it’s ability to tap into so much data that NASA has in it’s image databases as well as a project I currently am involved with called, “GLOBE” or Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment.

As quoted on their site, GLOBE:

GLOBE (Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment) is a worldwide hands-on, primary and secondary school-based science and education program. GLOBE’s vision promotes and supports students, teachers and scientists to collaborate on inquiry-based investigations of the environment and the Earth system working in close partnership with NASA and NSF Earth System Science Projects (ESSPs) in study and research about the dynamics of Earth’s environment.

This program is AMAZING! With many participating countries and areas of recorded data, this program truely gives a snapshot of our current state of the environment. Twice a week, I take children out to our estuary where we measure different hydrology samples including: dissolved oxygen, salinity, turbidity, pH, along with water temperature, cloud cover. and precipitation. The data we record is then documented on the GLOBE website, where you can view in many different views the changes over time. Well, World Wind lets you tap into that data and visualize it on the global map….the inner geek in me is still screaming with excitment at that fact. The potential for this is really limitless as far as teaching children about how our environment is changing as well as keeping up to date on weather trends, etc. Figuring out how to incorporate this program into my classes is going to be hard, but if done right….it can be a powerful teaching tool (World Wind).

There are many others features of this program that I don’t really want to get into right now, but you can look at agricultural data, human impact, and even look at venus, mars and the moon!

check out “World Wind”

Swim, Bike, Run

// September 9th, 2007 // Comments Off // Uncategorized

As many of my friends know, recently I undertook the task of competing in a triathlon. Of course, being as how I am not really in shape, the obvious question was whether I would survive the task. The answer is I did, and did well…at least for me!

However, the weeks previous to this event, I was a wreck with getting ready, littering my days with nervous tension and half-ass workouts, for sure I was going to fail.

I triumphed in the end, especially with the support of friends and the knowledge that I was helping a foundation that conserves one of our natural resources, the Neuse River.

The Neuse River, as Wikipedia states:

The Neuse River is a major permanent stream rising in the piedmont of North Carolina, emptying into the Pamlico Sound below New Bern. Its total length is approx. 325 km (195mi), and its drainage basin, measuring 14,582 km² in area, lies entirely inside the state of North Carolina. It is formed by the confluence of the Flat and Eno Rivers prior to its entering the artificial Falls Lake reservoir in northern Wake County. Its fall-line shoals lie submerged under the waters of Falls Lake. The Neuse River has recently joined the American Rivers’ list as the eighth most endangered river.

The Neuse has been plagued in recent years with environmental and public health problems related to municipal and agricultural wastewater discharge, storm runoff, and other sources of pollution.[1] Pollution was particularly bad in the aftermath of Hurricanes Fran and Floyd in the late 1990s.

The dinoflagellate Pfiesteria Piscicida[2][3][4] is present in the river, and is affected by nutrient levels in the river. This organism is sometimes connected to fish kills as well as adverse health effects in humans.

So, armed with the knowledge that I was helping The Neuse River Foundation and Duke’s Coastal Society Chapter, I felt ready to give it my best!

It all started with the swim (pictured I am in the middle with the red shorts)

Then, the bike ride

Then finally, with some help from my friend June, the run!

Finally! I finished!

It feels good that I finished and am now entertaining the idea of doing one in Emerald Isle next month! After this triathlon, I went surfing because of the tropical depression offshore pushed up some waves! What a productive weekend!

wow…teaching is fun!!

// June 10th, 2007 // Comments Off // Uncategorized

So I am in the middle of applying to a few jobs, one of which is a Science Teacher Position at Environmental Charter High School in Los Angeles (very cool)

One of the requirements was to send some examples of my teaching through video!

Below is a video of me teaching my class about sea turtles. The quality is not that great, but I had to compress heavily for it to be more portable.

Enjoy!

Oceans Breath

// April 15th, 2007 // Comments Off // Uncategorized

In light of earth day rapidly approaching, seeing this video stirred some emotions and why I feel like we need to help our environment, strengthen global ocean use policy, and protect biodiversity.

There are no words here, but dramatic time lapse videography of tides coming in and out overlayed with breathing.

Leatherbacks!

// April 3rd, 2007 // Comments Off // Uncategorized

I am very very excited now about Leatherback Sea Turtles!

Dr. Scott Eckert, Director of Science for WIDECAST, a Wider Caribbean Sea Turtle Conservation Network, and Faculty at Duke University Nicholas School of Environment, presented today his research and knowledge about a wondrous species of Sea Turtle, the Leatherback.

All being part of my regular work schedule, I get to learn, firsthand, about a species of sea turtle from a world renoun expert. Living in virtually every part of the ocean, Leatherbacks have survived the test of time, over 90 million years! They are truely unique, but critically endangered, which is why we need to stand up and pay attention. Seeing as how these turtles mainly eat jellyfish, their absence can/and has caused a major rise in Jellyfish populations, notably along the subartic regions where codfishing is a prominent commercial fishing enterprise. These jellyfish then become both top and bottom of the food chain in that area, stomping out the competition of the other species.

So, critical to us is the regrouping of our efforts to help species like these to stabilize and flourish!

Thank you Dr. Eckert for your great presentation!

defining resolve: daydreaming of nature

// March 18th, 2007 // Comments Off // Uncategorized

So I usually am pretty focused when working, realizing that if I finish the task at hand, I can move on to something else more quicker. Although lately it has been hard to concentrate because of me wanting to go to this school, well not just ‘this’ school, but THE National Outdoor Leadership School, more commonly known as NOLS

I always talk about camping and doing stuff outdoors, but if I go to NOLS, I will be living a dream! There are many locations around the globe, including Patagonia, New Zealand, and India. I really want to go and be in the harsh wild to explore what I am able to accomplish.

Having a job where I am surrounded by Nature daily, my wanderlust has grown to include exploring more beauty of our Earth. Mounting is my committment to always have a hobby hiking, camping, and just enjoying our natural environment. At NOLS this dream of going to the most extreme can be accomplished, therefore I resolve to go to this school before I turn 30!

A friend of mine, Karl, participated in a NOLS course out of high school and told me that he was sea kayaking with Whales right beneath him in Alaskan waters. If only I knew and appreciated the wonders of our natural environment then, would I have already been to places like that.

It feels like in our modern day, the beautiful vistas are receding, our unnatural landscape is claiming what has been present for millions/thousands of years.

I am going to NOLS!

I made videos! kinda lame-o, but sometimes funny.

// January 14th, 2007 // Comments Off // Uncategorized

the above video is a brief intro to the beach in Salter Path, NC

In the above video, we discuss a few animals found in Bogue Sound, NC

This above video talks about a native plant that can be made into tea called, Illex Vomitoria (Yaupon Holly)

insight, independence, and i

// October 4th, 2006 // Comments Off // Uncategorized

October seems to always creep up on me…..no matter the year. Well here it is….OCTOBER ‘06!

Things have been busy for me lately, but I do have to say that I have been enjoying my ‘busy-ness’ I feel like the longer I am immersed in nature, the more profound understandings of myself become exposed.

I tend to appreciate things more, little things…little people, and little gestures that random people do for me.

I like bugs more now (which, if you know me, is amazing news since ive been deathly scared of bugs since I was little)…like argiope spiders, rolypolies, damsel fly nymphs, and grasshoppers…I also am starting to finally and totally let things shed away pastwise. I really don’t care, well I care, just am not as interested in holding onto things that have brought me down lately. I’ve accepted what has happened in my life’s past, and I am here now as consequence, or more as reward.

I am coming into my own – and finally feeling more like an adult.

Found a baby snapping turtle yesterday and just stared at him/her for almost an hour trying to figure out how it felt right before I snatched him from the ghost crab that was going to eat him. It kept on being itself and didn’t really care if I was holding him/her or not, just that it could crawl how it wanted.

I want to crawl…and not be afraid of doing what I want and need. I think I am there now and ready to fully apply myself in any endeavor.

I can soar like a hawk…like the red tailed hawk on my arm yesterday. it bated and squeezed its talons through my glove, but looked at me in a knowing way (it’s okay, im just trying to get balance) So I trusted him.

I like validation in my efforts and knowledge…and it felt really good today when my bosses gave me good feedback on my teaching…but something was different in myself, something that I just realized about myself…the fact that although the feedback keeps me striving to be better, I can do things. Do things that make me who I am.

I guess it’s kinda hard to articulate what I feel, but feel I do…more passionately than I have in a while about myself….and what I want and what I have interface to create this comforting web of independence and ambition.

the more surfing the better!!

// September 10th, 2006 // Comments Off // Uncategorized

Ahhh. Today, yesterday, last week…..Ernesto, Florence…GREAT!

So I went surfing I am worn out, but feel good. What is really cool is that I have some surf buddies now! Lately surfing has been fun, but with the added bonus of sharing ’sweet’ rides, I am totally stoked. They are newbies, but are rapidly adapting. They definitely CHARGE!

I am really excited about working with my coworkers at Sound to Sea, seeing as how talented they are. After a solid week of teaching and seeing how the kids react to them…I can already tell we are going to have a great year full of surfing and good times!