Happy New Blog!

Well....where to start?

I finished my fall semester well and am now in my Spring semester which has been the most intense semester that i've had thus far. I declared my major a couple months ago and it is Geology. Technically it's Geoscience with an emphasis in geology but geology is much easier to explaing. I took a 'Geology of National Parks' class last semester that I really enjoyed. My proffessor also told me that I did well and was thrilled to learn that I was interested in majoring in it. He offered a lot of support in my decision telling me that other people in wheelchairs have been able to go on fieldtrips and do fieldwork just fine and the department is willing to make an accomodations. As far as a career goes I want to be a PA (Physician's Assistant) and for that all you need is a bachelor's in anything plus pre-reqs. So I figure that Geology sounds more fun than any of the other majors that are offered and I figured that if I decide not to do the PA thing, then having a science degree still gives me lots of options. I also think it'd be cool to work for a national park and work on the accessibility of things. It could be a fun and challenging job because you'd walk (or roll...hehe) the fine line between nature and construction. You'd want a place to be accessible for wheelchairs but you don't want to slab a bunch of concrete down on a site and ruining the nature of it. So that's my current plan and who knows maybe I could do PA and National Park service together. So to continue on with my spring semester I'm taking Chemistry, Calc II, Intro to Anthropology, and Power Basics. Intro to Anthropology is an online course so I don't have to go to class, but it also means that I procrastinate on all the reading we're supposed to do which makes for a very stressful pre-week to a test. Also, my favorite class this semester is Power Basics which is taught in the Business department. It's one of the only classes taught in the whole US that actually teaches students how to gain power...mainly in a business context, but it can be applied to any situation in life. Basically we learn how to manipulate people...haha, watch out! One of the reasons I like it so much is because the grade is based on attendance to the class. Basically if I show up to class i get an 'A'. Plus the topics that we talk about are pretty interesting and sometimes controvertial as far as the line between what is ethical and moral. A lot of times when people hear the word 'power' they put it in a negative context but really it can be positive as well depending on the situation. I think that's all I have to say about school right now.

Sports! I started skiing again and I'm doing pretty well. I've recently graduated from the bunny hill and now am going on the easy hill...which is very steep in my mind. I had a couple of harsh falls but I recovered okay. Nothing a few aspirins can't fix. Last year I was still tethered to a teacher and now I'm off tether completely and going it on my own. It's been a new adventure for me since I never went downhill skiing before my injury. If I can get someone to take pics I'll have to upload some.

Bball. I started playing games and I have to say that I am once again in love with the sport. Playing again brings happiness to my soul, but now I just need to get a fancy bball chair so I can dominate! I actually applied for grant from the Challenged Athlete's Foundation which gives people money for sport's equipment every year. It's about a 95% acceptance rate for whatever equipment you ask for. Considering the chair I want is about $3,000 it will be great if I get accepted. One of the big differences in the sport's chairs is that the wheels are cambered giving the chair a wider base for better stability, control, and turnability. Right now I've been playing in my regular chair, which when pushing feels like a tank compared to the sports chairs which are lighter as well. And no, Nike, Reebok, and Adidas don't make sports chairs Brian. Right now I'm playing with middle school kids and we play on an 8 foot hoop. There is only one other wheelchair basketcall team at the same level that we are playing in so we play the same team from another town in all the games we play. Right now it's a good start to help develop my skills and get my feet wet in wheelchair basketball but it's become very apparent that I have a lot more experience knowledge of the game than the rest of the kids. Now I just have to transfer my skills and knowledge into a wheelchair game and I'll be playing the competive women's league in no time. I also need to lift weights and get more muscle on me. I think that'd it'd be way cool to go to the Paralympics someday. My dad also took pictures of one of the games that I will try and upload soon once he gives me his camera so I can downloas all the pics.

Cycling. We are also still cycling and are training for the SLC Marathon coming up in April. I have a goal not to crash this year which I feel is very reasonable. Plus when I finish I'll look like a hotrod because I'll have shaved 2 hours off my time from last year! Right now we are just cycling indoors because of all the snow and the coldness but in a couple weeks I'm sure we'll be outside.

In other news, my dad is engaged and is getting married April 11th. I'm one of two bridesmaids and we bought my green dress and green heels. I'm sure you can imagine this all.

That's all I have for now! Thanks for reading!

Also! I'm planning on a trip out to Boston this summer and I'm trying to make arrangements to stay with people because I don't want to pay lots of money for a motel, but it's been kinda interesting to try to find people who don't live 3 flights of stairs up (sorry Ellen) and who have big enough bathrooms for me to get in. If anyone knows or has suggestions let me know. We have about 6 months to plan. I think I'll be out end of July beginning of August sometime. I'm really excited to get out there again because I miss it so.