There is no scent more wonderful than that of the earth after it rains.
image
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
Saturday, October 26, 2013
Get Away From My Mother (Desalination Plants)
Ah, Fall is in full swing. The air is nippy, the trees are glistening gold, I'm wearing my favorite sweater and scarf....
Wait. No. It's 72 degrees and sunny and I'm going to the beach before going to a Halloween party tonight.
It's difficult to tell what's "normal", weather-wise, here in Santa Cruz. While our temperatures throughout the year only span about 30 degrees, you literally never know when it's going to be 72 and sunny or 54 and foggy. What we're in now is our Indian Summer, I suppose, though the environmentalist in me never fails to end up believing wholeheartedly that it shouldn't be like this in late October and this is our fault. And then proceed to go to the beach anyway. Sigh. The dilemma.
My environmental guilt is a nice segue into a magazine that recently caught the bulk of my attention: Growth, a student-produced magazine on the expansion of University of California, Santa Cruz. Relative to overall area and student population, UCSC has the most undeveloped land of any UC (have you been here? We're all trees!), and as the UC system is required to admit the top 12.5% of California's graduating high school class each year (which continues to grow), we are being pushed to expand. Right off the bat, without any sort of logical reasoning, most of us slugs will object to expansion and proceed to sit in a tree. I know that was my reaction the first time I heard of it.
All these pictures from 2007, at the last big protest.
Yet us tree-huggers and tree-sitters and overall tree-appreciators also have a logical side, and I've found it in this magazine. And it doesn't limit itself to trees. In fact, one of the most interesting arguments I found was one about plans for a desalination plant on the Santa Cruz coast.
Can you see the irony in this? (from the city's website promoting the plant)
What does this have to do with expansion? As we use so much of the city's water (although per capita campus water consumption has fallen 40 percent in the last 30 years, maybe because some of us only shower when it rains), no plans for expansion could be approved until, as Growth states, an extension of water and sewer services is approved.
So that brings us to desalination. Without ever thinking too deeply about it, I have always considered this "solution" to be flawed only in how expensive it is. We all know that most of earth's water is saltwater and undrinkable by humans in our current evolutionary stage. The problem is never that saltwater is running out (although its quality, for our marine bros and sistas that live in it, is a whole other issue), but that freshwater is running low. So obviously, it seems reasonable that if we can convert saltwater into drinking water, we should be good on h20 for a long time.
Yeah, kinda not really.
LRDP: Long Range Development Plan.
I was horrified when I realized that I had never thought about what they do with the brine (salt and other minerals) after they extract it from the water.
You know what they do?
THEY PUT IT BACK IN THE OCEAN (or sometimes in landfills) along with other toxic byproducts from the plant.
And do you know how they run the desalination plant itself?
PETROLEUM. COAL. Unless they put in the time and resources to find a renewable energy source (ha).
Hello greenhouse gas emissions and oversalinated marine ecosystems.
Forgive me if I sound like an overemotional ranting hippie. It's what I am. I love trees. I love clean air. I love the goddamn earth beneath my feet. But the ocean? She is my mother. Just as I cannot express in words the love I have for my human mother, I cannot tell you how much it infuriates me when someone messes with the ocean and all her children. And it's not like I can tree-sit the ocean, or trust me I would. For as long as it takes.
I'm sure that right about now you're thinking, well, she sounds like all the rest. Angry about the issues but not presenting a better solution herself. That's pretty true. Environmental studies is a dismal science. But thankfully, Growth does present an alternative: increased effort put into recycled water. More research could also be done to design a more sustainable desalination plant, because their implementation is gaining popularity worldwide and they will happen.
The point is, as Growth states so well:
Plans for expansion are currently stalled by a lawsuit, but the issue won't stay tied up in court forever. In the meantime, arm yourself with knowledge, and figure out where you stand on the matter. Go out into the forest, and find a quiet spot. Listen to the redwoods and firs creaking in the wind, and to birds talking amongst themselves. Poke around for mushrooms, and see if you can spot a salamander. Ask yourself: what does this place mean to me?
Also, god do I love my school.
xoxo
Juliana
Wait. No. It's 72 degrees and sunny and I'm going to the beach before going to a Halloween party tonight.
It's difficult to tell what's "normal", weather-wise, here in Santa Cruz. While our temperatures throughout the year only span about 30 degrees, you literally never know when it's going to be 72 and sunny or 54 and foggy. What we're in now is our Indian Summer, I suppose, though the environmentalist in me never fails to end up believing wholeheartedly that it shouldn't be like this in late October and this is our fault. And then proceed to go to the beach anyway. Sigh. The dilemma.
My environmental guilt is a nice segue into a magazine that recently caught the bulk of my attention: Growth, a student-produced magazine on the expansion of University of California, Santa Cruz. Relative to overall area and student population, UCSC has the most undeveloped land of any UC (have you been here? We're all trees!), and as the UC system is required to admit the top 12.5% of California's graduating high school class each year (which continues to grow), we are being pushed to expand. Right off the bat, without any sort of logical reasoning, most of us slugs will object to expansion and proceed to sit in a tree. I know that was my reaction the first time I heard of it.
All these pictures from 2007, at the last big protest.
Yet us tree-huggers and tree-sitters and overall tree-appreciators also have a logical side, and I've found it in this magazine. And it doesn't limit itself to trees. In fact, one of the most interesting arguments I found was one about plans for a desalination plant on the Santa Cruz coast.
Can you see the irony in this? (from the city's website promoting the plant)
What does this have to do with expansion? As we use so much of the city's water (although per capita campus water consumption has fallen 40 percent in the last 30 years, maybe because some of us only shower when it rains), no plans for expansion could be approved until, as Growth states, an extension of water and sewer services is approved.
So that brings us to desalination. Without ever thinking too deeply about it, I have always considered this "solution" to be flawed only in how expensive it is. We all know that most of earth's water is saltwater and undrinkable by humans in our current evolutionary stage. The problem is never that saltwater is running out (although its quality, for our marine bros and sistas that live in it, is a whole other issue), but that freshwater is running low. So obviously, it seems reasonable that if we can convert saltwater into drinking water, we should be good on h20 for a long time.
Yeah, kinda not really.
LRDP: Long Range Development Plan.
I was horrified when I realized that I had never thought about what they do with the brine (salt and other minerals) after they extract it from the water.
You know what they do?
THEY PUT IT BACK IN THE OCEAN (or sometimes in landfills) along with other toxic byproducts from the plant.
And do you know how they run the desalination plant itself?
PETROLEUM. COAL. Unless they put in the time and resources to find a renewable energy source (ha).
Hello greenhouse gas emissions and oversalinated marine ecosystems.
Forgive me if I sound like an overemotional ranting hippie. It's what I am. I love trees. I love clean air. I love the goddamn earth beneath my feet. But the ocean? She is my mother. Just as I cannot express in words the love I have for my human mother, I cannot tell you how much it infuriates me when someone messes with the ocean and all her children. And it's not like I can tree-sit the ocean, or trust me I would. For as long as it takes.
I'm sure that right about now you're thinking, well, she sounds like all the rest. Angry about the issues but not presenting a better solution herself. That's pretty true. Environmental studies is a dismal science. But thankfully, Growth does present an alternative: increased effort put into recycled water. More research could also be done to design a more sustainable desalination plant, because their implementation is gaining popularity worldwide and they will happen.
The point is, as Growth states so well:
Plans for expansion are currently stalled by a lawsuit, but the issue won't stay tied up in court forever. In the meantime, arm yourself with knowledge, and figure out where you stand on the matter. Go out into the forest, and find a quiet spot. Listen to the redwoods and firs creaking in the wind, and to birds talking amongst themselves. Poke around for mushrooms, and see if you can spot a salamander. Ask yourself: what does this place mean to me?
Also, god do I love my school.
xoxo
Juliana
Sunday, October 20, 2013
Blastfromthepast Part I
On this sunny Sunday, the upcoming marriage of my youngest uncle and his need for childhood pictures brought about a mass resurrection of dusty photo albums from the abyss that is My Family's Garage.
Don't worry, we found plenty of him. The real gem, though, was finding pictures of my immediate family--mom, dad, little sister 1, little sister 2--dating from as far back as the 60's. I did a lot of laughing and awww-ing before my common sense came along and I started snapping pics of pics with my phone. And so I only have a few at the moment, but just you wait. The pictures of my dad in college are priceless.
We got me and my best friend Shannon, such 90's kids. I believe I'm actually wearing a denim jumpsuit. Or some kind of jumpsuit.
We got the quintessential autumn day picture.
We got me, Shannon and our other best friend Sierra. How did we all know each other so young? My mom's best friend from high school is Shannon's stepsister and my godmother, her sister Lisa is Sierra's mother, SO Sierra is Shannon's niece and I'm all god-related to everyone. Get that? Also, check out the vintage television.
We got my parents being all attractive holding me.
And finally, gem of the year, we got my mother literally being a model.
My parents kept the my-mom-is-a-model thing secret for a *long* time. While my mother is beautiful (and still looks like she does in that picture, over 20 years later), she exudes none of the vanity/insecurity/pretentiousness/etc that is often seen in models. My mom wears overalls and her only flaw (that I can see) is she gives and gives to everyone and doesn't take enough time for herself.
But of course one day I was looking for my confiscated Gameboy Color in my dad's underwear drawer and found a picture of my mom, not just modeling, but bikini modeling.
I will violate my parents' privacy no more, but the point is, ^THAT IS MY MOTHER. Jesus.
We looked through these albums for 3ish hours. We found naked baby pictures, naked adult pictures, pictures of weddings, births, magic shows, halloween costumes, and me as a toddler literally stuffing my face with food. We found pictures of our old apartment and our house when it had staples holding the floor together.
But the most mind-blowing thing of all was seeing my parents when they were my age, in college, hanging out and being ridiculous with their friends. Seeing my mom in her lace-and-leather night-out outfit and my dad chugging Jack Daniels and holding a baguette between his legs as if that would fool anyone. Seeing them cuddled together on a futon in bathrobes with what looked like full double shot glasses (their friends documented everything very well). It showed me a past I had only ever imagined, reinforced what I know in the present about the incredible love my parents have for each other, and gave me hope that my future could be just as bright. Because after all, I was raised by an amazing, loving family, and I am my parents' daughter.
I hope you're all having a wonderful, wonderful Sunday.
xoxo
Juliana
Don't worry, we found plenty of him. The real gem, though, was finding pictures of my immediate family--mom, dad, little sister 1, little sister 2--dating from as far back as the 60's. I did a lot of laughing and awww-ing before my common sense came along and I started snapping pics of pics with my phone. And so I only have a few at the moment, but just you wait. The pictures of my dad in college are priceless.
We got me and my best friend Shannon, such 90's kids. I believe I'm actually wearing a denim jumpsuit. Or some kind of jumpsuit.
We got the quintessential autumn day picture.
We got me, Shannon and our other best friend Sierra. How did we all know each other so young? My mom's best friend from high school is Shannon's stepsister and my godmother, her sister Lisa is Sierra's mother, SO Sierra is Shannon's niece and I'm all god-related to everyone. Get that? Also, check out the vintage television.
We got my parents being all attractive holding me.
And finally, gem of the year, we got my mother literally being a model.
My parents kept the my-mom-is-a-model thing secret for a *long* time. While my mother is beautiful (and still looks like she does in that picture, over 20 years later), she exudes none of the vanity/insecurity/pretentiousness/etc that is often seen in models. My mom wears overalls and her only flaw (that I can see) is she gives and gives to everyone and doesn't take enough time for herself.
But of course one day I was looking for my confiscated Gameboy Color in my dad's underwear drawer and found a picture of my mom, not just modeling, but bikini modeling.
I will violate my parents' privacy no more, but the point is, ^THAT IS MY MOTHER. Jesus.
We looked through these albums for 3ish hours. We found naked baby pictures, naked adult pictures, pictures of weddings, births, magic shows, halloween costumes, and me as a toddler literally stuffing my face with food. We found pictures of our old apartment and our house when it had staples holding the floor together.
But the most mind-blowing thing of all was seeing my parents when they were my age, in college, hanging out and being ridiculous with their friends. Seeing my mom in her lace-and-leather night-out outfit and my dad chugging Jack Daniels and holding a baguette between his legs as if that would fool anyone. Seeing them cuddled together on a futon in bathrobes with what looked like full double shot glasses (their friends documented everything very well). It showed me a past I had only ever imagined, reinforced what I know in the present about the incredible love my parents have for each other, and gave me hope that my future could be just as bright. Because after all, I was raised by an amazing, loving family, and I am my parents' daughter.
I hope you're all having a wonderful, wonderful Sunday.
xoxo
Juliana
Thursday, October 17, 2013
Yoga Love
I'm discovering that sometimes the inside of your own head can be very exciting, and that we all possess a certain power to move ourselves that often goes untapped.
When T and I broke up 5-ish months ago, one of the main driving forces behind the split was that I did not feel like myself. I set out on what I suppose you could call a journey inward, as cliche as that sounds, and I've found a number of very accessible things that turn my soul inside out and make me feel like a real Juliana.
One of them is yoga.
I've been doing sun salutations religiously for years now, but a little more dedication and real instruction has opened my eyes to how vast the world of yoga really is. While I'm far from flexible (I have the tightest hamstrings in the world next to my mother), I've learned in the past couple months that yoga is much, much more than that. It is an entire philosophy. The narrow definition of yoga as a physical exercise is, in fact, an entirely western notion. One may take the practice of yoga as far as one wants to go, as well as explore those schools of thought that incorporate it or are related to it, such as Ayurveda and tantra (the root of modern yoga). Whatever your beliefs may be concerning the order of the universe and that of your body, I've found that I benefit from envisioning myself as a series of chakras connected by nadi through which prana is ever-flowing.
Of course, the life-giving breath of the universe flows through the channels of my body.
And yet it makes me feel like so much more than a vessel. When I open my palms and reach towards the sky, whether it be in chair pose or warrior I or even just tadasana, I don't feel as if I'm worshipping some god, as I've been trained to do, but instead accepting the greater truths and most positive energies of the universe into myself, with the promise that as the truth and positivity flow into me, they will also flow out.
Just a place with a whole lotta positive energy.
This is bound to come out wrong, but there is a deep peace to be found in the realization that you, as an individual physical entity, are nothing special. This isn't to say that you're worthless; just that you cannot hold yourself above any other living thing. The same breath of life flows through all of us. Though our senses make us out to be single, closed-off organisms in this world full of physical boundaries, there is a universal harmony that, if we can tune into, may lead us to an internal and external balance accessible to all who wish to find it.
I'm not saying I've found it, and I'm not trying to preach. Yet something must explain the subsiding bitterness for humankind in my head and the growing love for trees in my heart.
My next goal: bakasana.
Namaste, good people of the universe.
xoxo
Juliana
When T and I broke up 5-ish months ago, one of the main driving forces behind the split was that I did not feel like myself. I set out on what I suppose you could call a journey inward, as cliche as that sounds, and I've found a number of very accessible things that turn my soul inside out and make me feel like a real Juliana.
One of them is yoga.
I've been doing sun salutations religiously for years now, but a little more dedication and real instruction has opened my eyes to how vast the world of yoga really is. While I'm far from flexible (I have the tightest hamstrings in the world next to my mother), I've learned in the past couple months that yoga is much, much more than that. It is an entire philosophy. The narrow definition of yoga as a physical exercise is, in fact, an entirely western notion. One may take the practice of yoga as far as one wants to go, as well as explore those schools of thought that incorporate it or are related to it, such as Ayurveda and tantra (the root of modern yoga). Whatever your beliefs may be concerning the order of the universe and that of your body, I've found that I benefit from envisioning myself as a series of chakras connected by nadi through which prana is ever-flowing.
Of course, the life-giving breath of the universe flows through the channels of my body.
And yet it makes me feel like so much more than a vessel. When I open my palms and reach towards the sky, whether it be in chair pose or warrior I or even just tadasana, I don't feel as if I'm worshipping some god, as I've been trained to do, but instead accepting the greater truths and most positive energies of the universe into myself, with the promise that as the truth and positivity flow into me, they will also flow out.
Just a place with a whole lotta positive energy.
This is bound to come out wrong, but there is a deep peace to be found in the realization that you, as an individual physical entity, are nothing special. This isn't to say that you're worthless; just that you cannot hold yourself above any other living thing. The same breath of life flows through all of us. Though our senses make us out to be single, closed-off organisms in this world full of physical boundaries, there is a universal harmony that, if we can tune into, may lead us to an internal and external balance accessible to all who wish to find it.
I'm not saying I've found it, and I'm not trying to preach. Yet something must explain the subsiding bitterness for humankind in my head and the growing love for trees in my heart.
My next goal: bakasana.
Namaste, good people of the universe.
xoxo
Juliana
Sunday, October 13, 2013
Autumn Lust
It's the middle of the day in Santa Cruz and under 60 degrees and cloudy. So, I'm pronouncing today the first day of sweater weather and pumpkin everything.
^Written last week, and followed by paragraphs and paragraphs of autumn lovin'. Literally listed everything I love about this season.
What I really needed, though, was a picture to replace those thousand words. So thank you, Thomas Kinkade, for making this possible.
Autumn Lane
Or maybe two.
Autumn at Ashley's Cottage
And to top it off, Claire's homemade vegan pumpkin creamer. I hope she doesn't mind the shameless promotion. :)
Off to get snuggly and write an essay about muppets.
xoxo
Juliana
^Written last week, and followed by paragraphs and paragraphs of autumn lovin'. Literally listed everything I love about this season.
What I really needed, though, was a picture to replace those thousand words. So thank you, Thomas Kinkade, for making this possible.
Autumn Lane
Or maybe two.
Autumn at Ashley's Cottage
And to top it off, Claire's homemade vegan pumpkin creamer. I hope she doesn't mind the shameless promotion. :)
Off to get snuggly and write an essay about muppets.
xoxo
Juliana
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