Wow. It’s been almost a month since I’ve updated the BLAG – I haven’t been feeling very inspired to write much of anything lately. There have been earthquakes galore and most of my thoughts have been with the end of the semester and trying to get everything turned in on time. The semester’s been over for nearly two weeks, and I’m still feeling the strain. Why?
Part of it is because this summer, I’ll be doing a field camp. When I was an undergrad, this wasn’t required, but they changed it recently. I technically don’t *have* to go, but I feel like it’ll be an incredible experience. The course I’ll be on is run in conjunction with Cornell University and my home campus, Montclair State University. The field camp is being held in the Andes Mountains of Argentina. We will be doing geologic mapping nearly the entire time we’re there, from July 4 to July 31 of this year.
What has me the most nervous, though, is that I’ve never done any geologic work of this caliber before. The most I’ve ever mapped is a tiny square on campus, not anywhere near this large. Also, the fact that I’ll be away for nearly a month and don’t know much about how I’ll be able to be in touch with my family and friends is a big worry. What if something happens at home? A dear friend recently took a European vacation, and the day she landed she found out that her father passed away. Third biggest worry? I’m one of three girls going. There are thirteen guys. That’s more than a little unbalanced…I just hope I get along with them.
Am I scared? You bet. Will I survive? Hopefully. Anyone have any words of wisdom? Anything that’ll keep me a bit more sane? I don’t speak a lick of Spanish so that doesn’t take away from my panic any.
Consider this my warning sign? 
Kabuto are the Pokémon equivalent of my favorite little prehistoric sea creatures, trilobites! Unlike the real thing, these can be reanimated and can be your little in game pixel friends.
True story #485: I’m hopelessly in love with the third dimension.
My friend Misty lives in the small town of Gillespie, IL. It’s approximately an hour north of St. Louis, and is smack dab in the middle of a formerly mining county. Reports say that mine subsidence, or sinking and shifting of the earth’s surface due to an underground mine collapse, is common in the area. On Saturday, the principal of the school noticed cracks all through the foundation of the school – and declared that it had to be closed indefinitely, and can potentially never be reopened. Now, officials are panicing because nobody knows what to do with the students now that their $7.5 million, 7 year old school is unusable.
Melissa, on the other hand, lives a bit further north, just outside of Fargo, ND on the Minnesota side. Her husband, Z, has been tracking the flooding in his own blog, 
Walking across the blogosphere today, my dear sister 
I first found out about Ada Lovelace Day through 
I’ll have my laptop with me, but I likely won’t be updating the BLAG much. Anything awesome happens…don’t forget me!
