The End.. or the Beginning..

Geo 660 is over!!! I leave you with the last photos of my undergrad life. Gonna start a different blog for Penn State. Cheers.. it's been a great trip.



SUV #3: Me, Radha, Julie, Lauren, Nick and Josh
in Arches National Park, Utah


Hydro kids: Steph, Radha, Tyler, me in Hecla, Montana


Nabiel's tent on the shores of Jenny Lake facing the Grand Tetons, Wyoming.


Mesa Falls, Yellowstone, with a rainbow. We saw lots of rainbows!


Pushing #3 out of the mud in Idaho

Summer Daze

It was a warm summer day today, and nothing goes with warm summer days better than a free concert in the park by the Austin Symphony's String Ensemble, courtesy of the Hartman Foundation. Natasha and I sprawled out on the grass at the new Long Center for the Performing Arts and listened to the sweet soft sounds of summer. Other summery things I did today included climbing up the trunk of a fallen tree (which ironically had fallen during the hailstorm 3 weeks ago) and eating watermelons.

Drove 914 miles to New Mexico and back in the department vehicles last week as part of our Hydrogeology Field Camp (Geo 376L). Bunked out in the Valles Caldera, west of Los Alamos. We analyzed the geochemistry and physical hydrology of a creek that runs through the Caldera. Apart from one of the vans' oil hose exploding in Albuquerque it was a smooth trip. Some people were very excited to have Los Alamos analyze our samples for us and even more excited at finding high levels of trace metals in the water (caused by fulvic acid destroying the feldspars in the volcanic rock). I am very slightly disdainful of research that doesn't really have any relevance to improving the human condition but whatever. Leaving for Wyoming on Friday to catch up with the general Geology Field Camp (Geo 660).


At an Anasazi (Publeo) ruin in Bandelier National Monument.



The drinking club with a hydrogeology problem.


Another thing I haven't mentioned is that graduation was on May 17th! Although I don't technically graduate till August, the school lets us walk in May because there is no August graduation ceremony. Spring graduation rocks because there are fireworks!


My homies Elena, Rebeca, Marta, Lexi, Nat and Hannah


My posse Amelia, Chelsey and Lily







Geo 376L and 660B
Summer '08: Where the hell am I ?
May 14-16 Hornsby Bend Center for Environmental Research
May 17: Graduation
May 18-22: Barton Springs, Waller Creek, Hornsby Bend
May 22-28: Valles Caldera, New Mexico
May 28-June5: Austin TX
June 6-9: Driving to Grand Teton National Park
June 10-14: Yellowstone calderas, Idaho
June 15-21: McCartney Mountains, Montana
June 22-26: Hecla, Montana
June 27: Snake River Plane, Great Salt Lake
June 28: Arches National Park, Rio Grande Rift
June 29: Return to Austin. Last day as an undergraduate. I predict I will be extremely unhappy on this day.

July 7 - ? Singapore

August ??? Move to Pennsylvania

At the end of the day if I could start all over and choose my major again, I would without a doubt still pick geoscience and geography. I will say, however, that I did not learn nearly as much from actual classes as I did from fieldtrips, fieldwork, working as a research assistant, interning for Schlumberger, studying abroad, and, last but not least, the relationships I developed with people.

So... apart from today being the first day of Hydro field camp, which we spent at Hornsby Bend, I checked my grades online and found out I got a C for M427K. That is the first and last C ever of my undergrad career. Oh well, it just shows that I slacked off completely this last semester. Getting a C implies I didn't work hard enough, which I thought I did! What on earth did I do if I didn't study?? Come to think of it, I did skip town thrice. I went to Mexico, Pennsylvania and Florida while school was in session. Hmm. I think that's enough to cut it for anyone.

Graduation is on Saturday, if I don't get eaten by a gator, bitten by a snake, stung by a fire ant or fall into a patch of poison ivy this week!

Three cheers!

In other news, we went to Krause Springs over the weekend. Which is why I now feel like I have no time to do all I need to do!

I wrote this poem with two people in mind. Two people I thought were my friends.

You call them friends because
They smile at you
An acknowledging hi when you walk past
They help you with your homework
And talk over meals about the day
They ride with you downtown
To dance. Laugh. Drink.
And engage in whatever strikes your fancy -
Whatever makes you happy.
They will not care about your life in a few years
When you are seperated by miles
An inner indifference emerging
As they go on with theirs.
In the cold and sorrow
Only then will you realize
You were a passing cloud
A drifting breeze
A wafting scent
They would never die for you.
Does my friendship mean nothing?

The beating of young hearts

I spent the first half of the week working on this horrendous geostatistics project for GIS, and the second half studying Laplace and Fourier transforms for my M427K exam on Friday. After a torturous Chemical Hydrology (aka Aqueous Geochemisty) lab where I failed to model groundwater recharge, I was finally able to relax at the Dean's outdoor dinner event with my geo buddies. By the time I got home at 8pm I was pretty tired, and not having any social obligations I decided to take it easy, even though there were several events going on, such as the University Fashion Show and an Open Mic Night at 21st Street. Here are more photos from my fast-paced action-packed (*cough cough*) life



Chett and Marta whizzing around on his quad bike
Pretty cool photo from Justin's cam, no?
We were at his parents' farm on the outskirts of Dallas


My turn to take Rebeca on the monster


Toasting smores in Chett's backyard
Rebeca, Ash, Justin, Elena and me


Marta had her 22nd birthday last week. We went to Mandola's, an Italian place, for dinner. Around her are Marisol, Paul, Carlos, Elena and Chett.


Marta and the guys, who look like gangsters.
Carlos, Paul, Chett, Phil, Matt and Justin.


Chett, Elena, Paul and Phil


Ash, Rebeca, me and Marta at Cain and Abel's after dinner


Paul and Elena working some magic


Chett decided everyone should spend the weekend at his place after his 3rd beer. Justin and Phil after exchanging glances immediately agreed.


Rebeca and me. She looks really happy but I look like I'm plotting to kill someone. Like my ex.


Totally unrelated; this is a photo Phil took at the 21st Street Coop carwash. Paul, Thomas, some guy and the other Paul.

Spent the weekend up in Dallas with some coop friends.. good times. I drove all the way back just to prove to myself I could do it. Chett's mum didn't have space for 10 of us so we camped in his yard.


Chett, Justin, Marta, Matt and Elena on the plaza outside the Old Red Courthouse in downtown Dallas. I took this photo and really like it - it looks like a GAP ad.


This is what trying to find your way around the DFW area does to you.

It's the last 2 weeks of class! I have to do a lot of stuff! Cringe..
Chem Hydro Project
GIS Assignment
M427K exam on Friday

Was just thinking of all the software I've used in the last year:
Petrel - GeoDa - Ensight - Paraview - ArcMap - VisIt - VTBuilder - PhreeqC - NetFlow and last but not least MS Access...

Arggh I'm really tired now. Been trying to work some Laplace Transformations. Going to bed.