The One Degree Factor-Reflection

The One Degree Factor was a chilling video; it was well represented and as always with National Geographic, the videography was stunning. The concept of the video was about how the temperature keeps rising and how this is going to affect the way we live our lives and how it will affect our environment--the first thing that really caught my attention was how the rising temperatures of the water were affecting the crab species; they hooked heart-rate monitors up to the crabs and monitored them during a rise in temperature.  Their hearts stopped beating when the water reached just 2 degrees Fahrenheit warmer...this is astounding!  If our waters/climates keep rising in temperature, incidents like this will happen to many, many species of wildlife.  Another species that was discussed in the video was the Caribou--as the climate gets warmer, these Caribou are swarmed with mosquitoes that have longer breeding periods due to the warm weather.  This causes them to get distracted and wore out from trying to rid themselves of the mosquitoes all day, and from the blood that is being sucked from them all day long; this keeps them from foraging for food.  In addition to this annoyance, the warmer weather is bringing more snow/precipitation which in and of itself makes it harder to find food--this leads to more death and less calves being produced.  It amazed me that these sort of things were happening across the world due to climate change, things I've never thought about before watching it.  On a day-to-day basis we may not notice much change, but if we are to look at the world 10, 15, 20 years ago and compare it to now in terms of wildlife and plants, we would see how much has changed...

Fort Myers Downtown Trip

I absolutely loved the trip to downtown Fort Myers! It was by far the most fun in college that I've ever had. :) I live in Port Charlotte, so I only drive to Fort Myers for school, never for fun, so visiting downtown FM was very new for me.  I took in all the sites and had fun exploring my surroundings.  I think the thing that fascinated me the most was how much history and culture was in downtown FM!  I always assumed it was just nightclubs, but there are so many little boutiques, museums, art galleries, and performing theaters.  It was very interesting--the scavenger hunt itself was difficult! I thought it was going to be much easier than it actually was and we did not come in first place; on top of that my legs were burning and I could barely walk the next day! Haha! I must be out of shape....but I kept up!  It was hot, sweaty, and hard work, but very worth it.  I think that it was a great field trip and I'm pretty sure everyone enjoyed themselves.  At the end of the scavenger hunt, we were all allowed to sit and eat and relax--this would have been fine if we hadn't lost track of time, got lost on the way back to the bus, and were so late the bus had left its spot without us!  We ran (yes RAN) around looking for it, and then we saw it driving toward us-thank God. I thought we were going to be stranded; I should have known Prof. Muldoon wouldn't leave us but whatever, it was a stressful situation nonetheless. ;)

Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary

When I heard we were going to a swamp, I wasn't too excited; although Prof. Muldoon promised we weren't going to get dirty or anything, nothing about a swamp sounded like the way to spend an enjoyable evening....the ride there was made enjoyable by a video about our water supply.  It was an interesting video and held my attention during the hour drive to the sanctuary; again, it made me think about things that I never think about (like the water that runs into the culverts that have oil and chemicals in it...this water eventually runs into the ditches, then to creeks, rivers and the ocean).  

When we got to the sanctuary, we were split into two groups, and we started walking across this boardwalk that winds throughout the swamp.  The swamp was GORGEOUS...I've lived in Florida for 12 years, and I've never seen a swamp, let alone a preserve like that. It was so peaceful, so untouched by development, or industrialization.  I can see why our professor would want us to experience this place, and for someone who has not spent any time in nature, it was overwhelmingly beautiful.

The tour however was completely UNDERwhelming; we did not stop more than a handful of times to discuss any of the plant or animal life in the sanctuary, and we were practically running across the boardwalk to reach an overlook point.  Our tour guide thought that it was ultimately important to reach the spot, and while it was a great photo op, and significantly more awesome than anything nature related I'd ever seen, I would have rather slowed the tour down to LEARN more about the swamp.  It felt like were just running to the overlook so we could see the swamp...that's fine, but I want to learn about the swamp! I could tell that Prof. Muldoon felt the same, and that we should have rather taken the shorter route so that the trip would have been more meaningful.

Overall, I value the experience and I have encouraged everyone I know to go see the sanctuary, and I got some great pictures ;)

My Home

This is a layout of my home; I absolutely LOVE being home....there is nothing like being able to relax and feel comfortable just being yourself at home.  I guess that's why I love it so much; there is no pretense there is no show to put on, nobody to impress, just the home you work hard to maintain and the people/animals that share that space with you.  There are two spaces that I really value in my home: my bedroom and my living room.  I really need my sleep, so this is the very basic reason that I love my bedroom so much; my bedroom represents a night of awesome sleep.  I absolutely love my living room, because it is where my husband and I spend the majority our time together; we watch our favorite television shows or just sit and talk there. Its comfortable and usually represents a good time.  

 The living room has a large fluffy loveseat and two recliners to kick back in, along with two end tables...it is the epitome of relaxation! Our bedroom has just enough space for our queen size bed and our large dresser...this is all we have so it works out perfectly! The bed is a pillow-top with a warm comforter and black-out curtains hang over the windows to invite sleeping in too late (which I love to do...). 

When I read the journal prompt for this entry, I initially just thought about it in a physical sense, but as I'm writing about my home, it really isn't about the physical space of our home, but more about what that space represents.  Our home isn't large, but it is the perfect space for me, my husband, our baby (Lilah~bear the dapple dachshund) and our two kittens.
What else could I ask for?  :)

The layout of my home

Reflection: The Rise and Fall of Consumer Cultures

This article was absolutely eye-opening for me, and made complete and utter sense.  Of course consumerism is deeply rooted in culture; in our norms, values, beliefs, traditions, etc.  It all makes sense.  As I was reading this article, not only was I astounded (and horrified) by the facts and statistics, but I couldn't help but think of my own consumption and how my own personal beliefs, values and traditions had shaped my levels of consumption.

Growing up, my parents NEVER recycled. I thought it was weird that all of neighbors recycled, but never us...my parents were just not concerned.  Our air conditioning was always kept at a comfortable 75-76 degrees (which meant it was running all day in our 95 degree Florida weather) and we always brushed our teeth with the water running.  Naturally, these same customs became a part of my own personal belief system, and I don't recycle, my air is always kept cold and I still brush with the water running! Am I proud of this? Not now! Especially after reading this article.  

My mom has been telling me since middle school that I need to get a college degree and get a good paying job so that I can live the "American Dream"--to me that means large house, nice car, and any amenities I could wish for. I've always been concerned about making enough money, and I would be lying if I said that making money wasn't one of my ultimate goals in achieving a college degree; however, every now and then I am plagued by a thought: what if, at the end of the day, I've achieved a great job that pays great money, but not a meaningful life? The article mentions that an annual survey of first year college students shows that being well-off financially has trumped developing a meaningful life...and sometimes I worry that I've fallen into this category.

The article also mentions that it will take decades of hard work to change the attitudes and beliefs of our current culture of consumerism, and I can see that this is true, just by examining by own day-to-day life.  It would take hard work and a level of commitment just for me to start recycling and trying to lower other levels of my consumption (such as water and air conditioning)--so trying to get an entire world to change is going to be a monster of a job. Where do we start??

My FGCU Comfy Spot

There is a spot on our campus that I am specifically drawn to, for a couple different reasons.  My "comfy spot" is the seating area directly in front of the library.  This seating area is literally overlooking one of FGCU's lakes and always has seats and tables available, so I don't have to waste time between classes trying to find a seat.  Having the water so close is very peaceful and can be calming, especially before an exam.  

Another great thing about this spot is that it is steps from Starbucks, and I love coffee! So in between classes, I can grab a frappe or a latte, and relax; also, with its close proximity to the library, I can easily go in and use the services offered there and use the internet quickly if I need to.  

Because it is an outdoor space, it is usually warm, which is usually a pleasant reprieve from the ice cold temperatures of most of my college classrooms; and in the winter, there is a nice crispness in the air that is to be enjoyed in this spot (with a steaming Starbucks latte of course).  

Maybe you should check it out for yourself...

My Sense of Place

I am having a hard time answering this question; I think it's because I don't ever remember having a connection between my sense of place and outdoor educational experiences.  I've never felt a strong connection with Florida environment...I hate snakes, alligators and red ants; and I think that in SWFL the landscape is pretty boring, and ugly. The seasons don't really change in appearance, and this really bothers me!  

In the physical sense of the word, I've never really felt that SWFL is my "place"; I was born in Michigan, lived in West Virginia until the 4th grade, and I've lived here in SWFL since the 4th grade. My sense of place is somewhere where the leaves change color and the trees are tall and bushy; where the landscape involves some hills, maybe even mountains.

In the conceptual sense of the word, my sense of place is is in limbo right now; I am a married woman, who works and is a full-time student. Is my sense of place at home? At work? At school? It's a little of each, and to me, none of these are connected to educational experiences in the outdoors.  My job requires me to work inside all day, everyday; and in my entire college career, I don't remember a single significant outdoors educational experience. 

I am excited to see how this class might change my view of SWFL, and maybe even give me a sense of place right here where I've lived for 12 years.  I am interested to see how this class will connect my sense of place and outdoor experiences.