post grad action plan...sorta

hi all, welcome to my blog!

so...what's going on with me NOW?! well, i recently completed my master's thesis on current environmental health and safety practices in the nanotechnology workplace. (the reports can be found at http://icon.rice.edu/projects.cfm?doc_id=4388). that being done, i graduate on june 15. time flies! and then what? i should be used to this transition stuff, but it's always scary. i have been interviewing, but no job has interested me. i mean, come on...all i want is something that will let me save the world! i am trying my hardest not to repeat the same mistake i did after undergrad - jump into the first offer without concern for a fit with my interests. i also want to relocate to denver (just cuz), and i want to travel before moving into a long-term job (i have a free flight to europe or latin america, so that's a no brainer). i am itching for adventure big time, and i have no responsibility right now - no man, no kids, no mortgage, few bills, minimal commitments, lots of time. i feel like life has set me up perfectly do to something wild and out of the ordinary! the catch: no $$$. i have some ideas, but i am waiting to hear on a few things before i can commit to a plan.

overall, i have few distractions in my life right now. school is VERY chill since i am only taking 10 credits. i also work 10 hours a week at a career center - easy stuff, so i get to think a lot (which isn't always a good thing). i am getting outside a lot, on my mountain bike mainly. i raced the sea otter classic up in monterey a few weeks ago and did really well! i am racing again on june 2 in santa barbara. it's my home course, so i want to rock it. interestingly, i feel like my only home is on the bike. that sound weird? it is the ONLY place where i feel truly comfortable, and it teaches me good lessons, like training me to keep my eyes on the destination rather than immediate obstacles. it has made me stronger, mentally and physically. otherwise, i am spending a lot of time by myself these days. by choice. i usually feel like i want to climb into a hole and do my own thing. hanging out with most people in santa barbara is work! my age is out of place, my interests don't gel with others, i'm SINGLE (which makes me "weird"), and i am tired of being flaked on...so many "we should do this" statements that never come to fruition. i am also changing a lot these days, and most santa barbara folk don't like change...AND i don't hit the bars often enough to be considered "fun." bummer for me.

ok, so the lastest enviro news: the united nations reported on friday that we can "stop" global warming at the cost of a "reasonable" 0.12% of the globe's annual GDP, i.e., trillions of dollars. all we need to do is decrease emissions by 50-85% by 2050 to maintain a temperature rise of 3.6F. sure...