Vacation-ing the "Alicia" Way

I'm in need of a vacation.

But being me, I won't settle for a couple days on a Hawaiian beach or a couple days on a cruise ship. No no. I prefer an ecotourist approach.

Ecotourism (according to Dictionary.com): tourism to places having unspoiled natural resources, with minimal impact on the environment being a primary concern.

I'm not a "pure" ecotourist by any means. I still find trips to historical cities and ancient ruins very interesting. But I am truly satisfied and rested after an adventure to some wilderness in an isolated part of the world. I like being an active participant in my vacation. I like turning in at the end of the day and feeling exhausted yet happy.

I was first immersed in this kind of vacation the summer of 2002. My family joined a group of people on a river rafting trip on the Rogue River in Oregon. I loved the heat, I loved the cool water, I loved getting dirty, I loved paddling through the rapids. I thought the river guides were so rugged and attractive; I went through a phase of wanting to be one.

Throughout college, I had a couple opportunities to get out of town. In the summer of 2003, I went to Alaska and rafted the Alsek River; breathtaking and exhilarating.

In December of 2004, my mom and I headed to Patagonia in Chile. We hiked around the Torres del Paine National Park.

In the spring of 2006, I spent a semester in Australia. I got the opportunity to raft the Tully River in Queensland, and for semester break, a classmate and I drove around the island of Tasmania.

In the summer of 2006, I backpacked for 16 days along the John Muir Trail. This was my first long distance hiking adventure, and it really challenged me physically and mentally but I loved it.

In the summer of 2007, I traveled to research/teaching facility in Costa Rica. I spent most of the time learning, reading, and writing. But just before I came home, I rafted the Pacuare River; a short trip, but action packed.

In the late spring/early summer of 2008, I participated in a 4 month internship in Seward, Alaska. I didn't have to travel far to enjoy the famous Alaskan scenery or the wildlife; it was right outside my front door.

And...now...we are caught up to the present. I've been working steadily since Seward. Living with my parents has made it easy to save some money for my next "vacation".

The time has finally come.

January 2011 - Rafting "The Greatest Whitewater on Earth" - the Futaleufu River in Chile.

Read all about the river and region here.

Wish me luck! I'm so excited! I can't wait for January to come!

Training Room Antics

Here's another blast from the past. I wish I could remember all the details behind this photo, but I can only remember bits and pieces. It was my sophomore year at Cal during spring training. I think it as our last workout before summer break. Instead of the usual conditioning workout on the track, our strength and conditioning coach had us doing a scavenger hunt that required us to take pictures to complete each item of the "hunt". I can't remember the purpose of this photo, but we were obviously going for something goofy in the training room.

I'd like to thank my supporting cast:

Vivian Cheung - on the table, receiving CPR from yours truly;

Jillian Davis - zapping her face with electro stim;

Gabby Abernathy - falling victim to...

Camille Leffall - pouring some toxic substance in to Gabby's mouth.

I remember that we did NOT win the scavenger hunt. Bummer. But we did take a lot of dorky pictures.

Hooray for memories!

Cold Weather Likes and Dislikes

I’m very much a “warm weather” person. I love visits and vacations in crisp, snowy places, but I don’t think I could live there. Granted, I’ve never tried...and I would like to try it someday, but if I find California winters disagreeable, then I’m confident that I could only tolerate “real” winters for a brief period.

While there are things that I dislike about the cold season, there are also things that I look forward to. So...below is my list of likes and dislikes during the “cold” times of the year:

Dislikes:

ripping myself from my warm, cozy bed in the morning

sitting on a cold toilet seat

waiting for the heater in my car to finally warm me up

limited outdoor adventures with the dogs (I don’t mind hiking around in the rain, but Lincoln always gives me a sour look)

means no more flip-flops for a while

Likes:

HOT CHOCOLATE TIME!

wood fires

wearing slippers

wearing hooded sweatshirts

curling up in a comfy spot to read a good book

the thrill when I wake up and see snow on the ground outside (Rare in the Bay Area, but awesome for the day or two when the conditions are perfect)

the crisp, clean air after a rain storm rolls through

I’m sure there are others. What are your favorite or least favorite things about the “cold season”?

I just had to...

Cleaning up my room always uncovers long lost gems. Take this one for example:

My college teammates, roommates, friends...Jenna and Alexis; or as I know them...Brown and Lex! Everyone goes through a dorky freshman year stage. We went through it together (and I tend to think we ended up being dorks together for the whole 5 years).

We aren't teammates anymore. We aren't roommates anymore. But I still miss them and carry them close to my heart all the time. We don't stay in touch as much as we should be, but I have all kinds of memories that always manage to resurface...even if I've tried to bury them.

Lex...I'm forever sorry for puking on your shoes, and I will forever be in debt to you for the way you kept yourself together and probably resisted the urge to just dump me on the side of the road. Or how about when I laughed in your face when you came to my room crying after eating asphalt when trying to chase down the bus? You don't worry; I told that bus driver what was up...in the most passive "Powers-way" possible. And although I wasn't there for the "crutch delivering popcorn" incident, I never doubted that it happened. And..."EXIT ONLY!!"

Brown...you could never escape us; especially, since we had a motion activated web cam in the common room. I'm sure I scared the crap out of you when I rolled off the bunk bed in the middle of the night. Or when the pipe under our sink burst and we were all scooping hot water in to the tub. And I still remember playing dodge ball in one of our last spring practices our Junior or Sophomore year, and I wrecked your thumb. I'm so sorry about that.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T...that goes for the both of you!

We've all grown up in our own ways. They are both married. Lex has a beautiful baby boy, and I'm long over due for a visit to Brown in Texas.

I'm sure we all had one or two special people who were key figures during important milestones in our lives. Brown and Lex were mine...Who are yours?

You gotta think out of the box

Working at Tony La Russa's Animal Rescue Foundation requires me to use my brain sometimes...well, actually, all the time. It's not just walking dogs and cleaning up poop. My colleagues and I are constantly fighting against the "forces" that are trying to compromise the mental stability of the dogs staying at the shelter. These "forces" could be any number of things, and their effect on each dog will vary greatly from dog to dog. But by far the most challenging "force" is the dog's length of stay. What I mean is that the longer a dog lives in the shelter, the more likely they are to mentally and physically deteriorate.

Not every dog decays, but every dog is at risk from the moment they arrive at a shelter to the moment they leave. My job involves working with the dogs who are at risk. We provide activities to keep both their minds and bodies engaged. Simple things, like sitting with a dog and reading to them for 20 minutes or taking them for a walk, can make a world of difference. 5 days a week staff organize groups of dogs to play together on the field; in addition to the mental and physical exercise this provides the dogs, it also ensures that the dogs stay well socialized and get to practice their play skills.

Every day, we also try to take a dog or two on "field trip". Puppies get trips to the nearby shopping center where they can sit on our laps and watch all the people, cars, dogs, and kids that may pass by. Older dogs get the opportunity to go on walks in any number of Open Spaces. The closest park is Lime Ridge Open Space. The dogs get to smell new smells, chase lizards and squirrels, and just enjoy the great outdoors. Here's a picture of Charlotte de Barry and her buddy Johnny on a stroll in Lime Ridge today:

I am also a member of the Enrichment Committee. The goal of this committee is to brainstorm and implement new ways to enrich the animals. We mostly think of original, inexpensive toys that we can make ourselves or everyday things that can be used with the cats and dogs. For example, it is enriching for the animals to spend some time listening to the radio or digging through a cardboard box to find a hidden treat. Volunteers donate random items all the time that we find ways to use; we have a couple plastic baby pools that we fill with water and let the dogs romp around in. Here's a photo of what one of the kitten rooms looked like after they got the chance to play with some shredded paper; a drag to clean up, but there is no doubt that they had some fun with that:

How can you help? If you have time to volunteer at a local shelter, spending 15 minutes with a shelter dog or cat will help that animal live successfully at the shelter. If you have spare dog beds, cat beds, toys, or blankets just laying around your house, free up some space and donate them to a shelter. Think you have some random item that the shelter could use for enrichment? Call the shelter and see if they could use it; you'd be surprised what they can do with your left-overs.

Here's your chance...Make a difference in some cat or dog's life TODAY!

Not much spare time these days

Between work and coaching high school volleyball, I don't have much time left over. For the hour or two that I have each night (the time really depends on when I start to fall asleep on the couch), I catch up on the backlog of fall shows that I have recorded on the TiVo. Here's what I got waiting for me:

Sunday - Keeping up with the Kardashians (b/c my dad is really in to it), Dexter

Monday - House, Chuck, Lie to Me, Hawaii Five-O (giving it a try...Alex O'Loughlin is nice to look at)

Tuesday - The Good Wife

Wednesday - Terriers, Law & Order: SVU, Law & Order: Los Angeles (new show and I'm so pumped for it!)

Thursday is busy - Bones, 30 Rock, The Office, CSI, The Mentalist

Friday - Smallville (I've been a loyal viewer all along; naturally, I'll be there for this 10th and FINAL season!)

I love my TV shows. I wish I could narrow it down, but when it comes down to it, I'm a slave to the TV during the fall. Once high school volleyball is over, I'll have some more time; I'll start reading like a freak again, but until then...you'll find me on the couch either watching TV or falling asleep.

P.S. Watching the latest episode of 30 Rock while I type this. Alec Baldwin is perfect!

My Ballsy Friend

I'm just looking to give a shout out to an ex-player, current friend, and one of the most random/creative people I know - Carly - who is jetting off to Paris to be an Au Pair in France for a year. An Au Pair is like a nanny. At first glance, this seems like a pretty daunting task to undertake, especially for a girl who only graduated high school last spring. But Carly isn't your ordinary recent grad. If anyone can mail themselves to a foreign country to take care of someone else's kids for a year, it would be Carly.

I personally couldn't do it...the whole taking-care-of-kids thing is enough to make me run away screaming. But I have no doubt that Carly's engaging personality and crazy imagination will win the hearts of French men and women all over the country.

Here's three cheers and a slap on the back for Carly! Good luck and have fun, Car.

If you want to follow Carly's blog, you can check it out here: www.aupairing-carly.blogspot.com