Textbooks

Fall is nearly here, which means another year of college will be beginning soon. I am very excited for my courses this term, which is moderately unusual. I think it's because I'm finally done with math, but also because I'm getting into classes that directly pertain to what I want to do when "real life" finally starts.

Although I'm not currently in the "real world" my current reality finally hit me like a train when I had to go buy my textbooks. This term I'm taking Human Anatomy and Physiology (with lab), O-Chem (with lab), Animal Genetics, and Principles of Animal Nutrition. At just 15 credits, it's the least amount of classes I've taken in college thus far.

However, the term is not even close to being light on text books. Or reasonable prices.
The only optional textbook was in Animal Nutrition, but since I'm planning on going to vet school, I figured it was worth buying and adding to my veterinary library. So there goes $78.

The Genetics text is required- $100 even. That's what's nice about the Animal Sciences department. It's usually just one book, if that.

Then we get into the real hairy shit. One of my roommates took A&P last year, so I was planning on using his book. But, lo and behold- they've switched editions since spring. (Because human anatomy has changed so much...?)
Also I needed an online access code. So there's really only one option, which is the new bundled package, which has the book, code, and a picture atlas, and blah blah blah. This pup rang out at $167, plus the lab packet valued at $12. So $179 for the whole course. Ouch, however, I will be taking the class all year, so I won't have to buy the book or code again.

The great part is that when I try to sell the book back at the end of the year they'll basically charge me to take it back then turn around and sell it for over $100. So that's awesome and totally fair.
*coughsomuchsarcasmit'snotevenfunnycough*

Then Organic Chemistry. Now, I already had reservations about this class because I didn't do so hot in the gen-chem series. There's the new bundled package for this course too, but I don't have an arm and a leg to spare so I decided to go used. Used books cost less and sometimes have curse words doodled in the margins (which is always a plus), so I picked up the book and study guide priced at $114 and $78 respectively. This class also required a molecular model set, which could only be bought new at $68. So totaling out at $260, I'm obviously pumped about O-Chem.

After nearly getting a hernia from carrying about 8 billion pounds of textbooks and crying all the way to the check out line, I received the 10% student discount (-$61) and swiped my card for $556 worth of knowledge and learning opportunities. Even the lady ringing me up commented about the shocking altitude my stack of books reached.

Is this motivation to go for the elusive 4.0 this term? Yes.

Is this motivation to seriously look for some part-time work? Yes.

Is this motivation to give up and become a bum after fall term? Definitely yes...

Of course at the bookstore checkout I got the traditional coupon sheet that helps ease the suffering of poor college students like me. Although I don't know what I could possibly get at Dutch Bros that would fix this.

Maybe crying into a BOGO nonfat vanilla latte will make me feel better...?

Security Questions

So I'm tired of using glory technology of the olden days and having to physically send my Internet bill payments via mail. It just doesn't make any sense that I should have to be buying stamps in this day and age. Seeing as they're the ones providing me with Internet, that should be the easiest bill to pay online, right?

But here I am. I can't remember my username or password for their stupid website.

After about 15 minutes, I finally guess the username right, but the password is still a no-go. So what do they give me? A security question.

Normally this isn't such a big deal, except that apparently I was high when I picked it, so my security question is "The name of my favorite pet."

Faaack.

This wouldn't be too hard if I didn't have so many animals...


I try "Bevin", my favorite sheep who had vocal powers that would make your ears bleed.
Nope

Snowden, my dog-like sheep that got hit by a log tuck and lived?
No

Sweet Pea, my ironically named, crotchety, old cat that I've had since I was 9?
Nope

Ballerina, my 4-H bunny who gave me my first experience with the miracle of life?
Hahaha cute... no. 

Jasper, my lion-cat with the sparkling blue eyes?
Uh, no. 

Commodore Zoomy, my 4-H goose that thought I was his mother?
WTF? Who names an animal that?

Bubbles, the pet rat that would hang out on my shoulder for hours?
Negativo

Was I being sarcastic, did I put Lily, that crazy slobbering mutt?
Wrong again

As far as totals go, in my life, I've lived amongst two dogs, five rats, one guinea pig, about 60 rabbits, nine cats, nine sheep, three hermit crabs, one very angry leopard gecko, five alpacas, five geese, seven ducks, and countless fish and chickens. Of those, I could only call a handful worthy of "favorite" status, but apparently Past-Kaya had a secret favorite that's not on the normal list, which Present-Kaya finds little disturbing. Amnesia?

 

Weeks later and I still have no idea what the answer is to that question.
I'm still buying stamps to pay my Internet bill.

The Garden Project (Part I)

I've come to grips with the fact that I'm living my college life off the beaten trail. I have chickens and rabbits in the backyard. I haven't blacked out. I haven't even eaten Top Ramen yet.

My newest project that will push me even further into the thicket of "unrelatableness" to my peers is a garden. Not just container gardening either, a full fledged 100 square foot plot of raised beds in my backyard.

The first hurdle was a large ominous shrubbery that covered about half of the space in the yard.

(I had already started working to tear out one of the Rhododendrons in this picture...)

You can't tell how much of a whore this bush is from the picture, but it was the biggest. With such a cute innocent name, Barberry, one would assume that it shouldn't cause too much trouble. Well don't assume jack-shit, 'cause you weren't there. The Barberry has basically no redeeming qualities: no beautiful flowers, no pretty smell, no edible pieces. It does have lots of thorns though, and a ridiculously strong will to live.

Still reeling from Christmas, I asked my parents just for their help tearing the bush out for my birthday in February. The following pictures document the ensuing battle...

Used a hack saw to sever the limbs

 Digging around the root ball. 

Using ratchet straps to leverage the root cluster out of the clay. 

Breaking the roots up 

Finally making some progress; any place we nicked it, it bled yellow. 

(Booo! U of O colors!)

Out she comes! Sonofa...

So much better. Weren't even gonna try to tackle the Rhodie's roots, we just put the raised bed over them. 

So much better! Ahh... feng shui...

Buh-bye!

This struggle took the greater part of the day.
My parents are fucking awesome.


After the root-ball-from-hell dried out a little, we used out new fire pit to give it a ceremonial burning.

Too bad we forgot it was the devil and nothing we do can kill it!

The next step was building the raised beds...

And that was the end of one very long Saturday.
I picked up working on the project again in April, when it finally stopped raining long enough to order topsoil.

I got my two yards of soil (special veggie-growing edition) from Shamrock Landscaping & Nursery, they delivered it right to my house, ah-mazing!

Then, with help from one of my amazing roommates, we got the soil distributed to all of the beds.

I couldn't plant anything until I had my chickens contained, they are notorious for digging and scratching in loose soil and eating tender little seedlings. So using left over chicken wire from the building of the coop, I fenced off the garden. Using the cages I transport the chickens and rabbits in, I lazily blocked off the other side of the patio as well.

(A funny note on this subject, my roommate Cori and I were sitting out on the patio when she said, "It's funny how they haven't thought to jump over those cages yet." No more than five seconds later, a chicken ran up to the cages and jumped over. Way to jinx it. Thanks.)

Picked up two extra chickens when I got my animals back after Spring Break... 

In case you were wondering. 

We get an absolutely insane amount of precipitation here in the Pacific Northwest. Our patio has a metal sloped roof that has a pretty steady stream of water coming off of it during rain storms. I put a 20 gallon garbage can under the dripping one night and it was filled by morning. The next day the wheelbarrow was full too. I have almost all the beds planted and haven't used any water from the spigot yet.

I have almost every square inch of the garden planned out; planting everything from marigolds to melons.

More to come in Part II!