Back From Hiatus

So, the last week or so has been pretty hectic - Erin graduated from law school, and I've been staying up in Minneapolis with Amy, helping her pack and getting everything together for the move to Dubuque. I just found out from my preceptor that I can start a few weeks early, and get some time in with the current resident to ease my transition. Plus, it means I will actually get to make some money, too...which will be nice considering the current state of my funds. Not pretty...

Tomorrow we head back to Omaha to pack all my things up, and we have 3 days, so I'm not thinking it's going to be very hectic at all. Then, we are renting a U-Haul and dragging the Sunfire back to Minnesota, and finally packing all of Amy's things up and will be on our way to Dubuque next Tuesday. Can't wait to check out the new apartment, we're just hoping it's done in time... Looking forward to using the 42'' TV and the rooftop patio!

I ran across the profile page of a guy I graduated from high school with, Steve Garrington. Apparently he's the bassist for the Retribution Gospel Choir, and is currently on tour in Spain with the band. They've played at SXSW in Austin and are under contract witih SubPop records, which I think is pretty impressive. I listened to a few of their songs and they're pretty awesome! They're opening for Wilco for a few of their next shows. Here's the link to one of their songs:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sf-r7aRBRHI

Just impressive to see fellow Ashlanders(?) doing well!

Another note of interest is that Amy is finally signed up for classes for next fall at UW-Platteville. We looked at all the classes she has to take as pre-reqs for PA school and sort of put together a mock schedule for the next two years. She also looked at quite a few schools, but is pretty set on wanting to go to Augsburg, since it's in the Twin Cities. However, there are 140 schools across the country, and more opening up next year, so I'm not too worried about her getting in. The nice thing about a pharmacy job is that I shouldn't have too hard of a time finding a job, no matter where she ends up.

We also are heading over to her friends' house in Shakopee tonight for a dinner with a few couples, and then stopping by my sister's in Eden Prairie to pick up a chair and TV stand being donated to us by her for our new place. Coupled with the couch we bought off Craigslist we should have a nice setup in the living room.

One other thing we've been discussing a lot is the unbelievable amount we're going to try to cram into our weekends this summer. Just about every weekend from now through the end of summer is already booked with either a trip to one of our cabins, a visit from family, a trip to Chicago, or a trip to Minneapolis. Sure hope neither of us has much in the way of either homework or research for our classes/residency that we have to get done on the weekends! I wouldn't have it any other way, however - it's going to be a great summer.

Victoria, B.C.

Empress Hotel, Inner Harbor

Everyone knows about Vancouver - everyone. The recent Winter Olympics certainly introduced the city and southwestern British Columbia (i.e. Whistler) to anyone who wasn't aware of the incredible beauty of the Pacific Coast Ranges surrounding the city, and the incredible architecture of the inner harbor area. However, though Vancouver is the largest city in B.C., it's not the capital. That title goes to Victoria, part of the second largest metro area in the province, situated at the southern end of Vancouver Island and about 60 miles southwest of the city of Vancouver. The Greater Victoria Capital District, which includes the city's suburbs, numbers at over 330,000. One interesting fact about the area is that, although it is only 60 miles as the crow flies from both Vancouver and Seattle, because of the rain shadow that Victoria lies in it receives only one-half as much rain in an average year as either city. This may account for the fact that it has become a major retirement destination for those from B.C. and Alberta in the past few decades.

The Azores

(courtesy Wikimedia Commons)

How much do YOU know about the Azores? Because I certainly knew about nil before stumbling upon them. They're an archipelago of islands located in the Atlantic about 1000 miles off the coast of Portugal, of which they are a part. They extend for almost 400 miles, a group of massive volcanoes. In fact, Mt Pico, which is shown above, is the highest point in Portugal. The volcanoes themselves, if measured from the ocean floor base, are some of the largest in the world. Though only 906 square miles in area, they are home to almost 250,000 people.

Angra de Heroismo, one of the three capitals of the Azores (each branch of government is hosted by a separate city), is the oldest continuously inhabited area on the islands. Its central area is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Deep Into the Heart of Cambodia...

(courtesy Wikimedia Commons)

...lies the nation's treasure to the world, Angkor Wat. This massive former capital site, built in the 12th century, is the best preserved example of Khmer architecture in existence, which is classical in nature and often likened to early Greek works. Angkor Wat, which literally means "city temple", has put Cambodia on the map for travelers to SE Asia. In fact, estimates say that over 50% of visitors to Cambodia list seeing Angkor Wat as their primary reason for visiting the country. The temple is now part of the Angkor World Heritage Site, which more or less exists so that other nations can pour money into its preservation and restoration. In fact, most work done on the site is done by volunteers from Western nations, rather than by the Cambodian government.

Cave Tubing and the Blue Hole

Caves excite me, for some reason. The thought of spelunking has always sounded like a lot of fun - though, I know that if a swarm of bats swooped down upon me, I'd probably think otherwise. Cave tubing through underground rivers is a popular, if seemingly very touristed experience on the Caves Branch River in Belize. I was able to find several websites that set up 1/2 day or day trips on the river, and they definitely seem comparable to trips on the Apple River when it comes to debauchery and age group. 

While on the subject of Belize, I came along this photo of the Great Blue Hole. It's a large underwater sinkhole located on the reefs off Belize's coast. It formed when the roof caved in on the cave system underlying the ocean floor. It's over 400 feet deep and believed to be the largest of its kind in the world. It really gained notoriety when Jacques Cousteau declared it one of the top ten dive sites in the world, and it is now protected as part of the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System (another UNESCO World Heritage Site, in fact); the Belize Barrier Reef is actually the second largest reef system in the world, after Australia's Great Barrier Reef.

Today's Great Pics

(courtesy Wikimedia Commons)

Today's travels take us to..the Alps? Nope. This is actually Lake Titicaca, which sits at 12,500 feet of elevation and straddles the border of Bolivia and Peru. It's one of the highest commercially navigable lakes in the world, and is also the largest freshwater lake in South America at 3,200 square miles (in comparison, Lake Superior is almost 32,000 square miles in surface area - 10x the size!). Lake Maracaibo, in Venezuela, is larger but is also partially saltwater.  Unfortunately, the lake's size is shrinking pretty rapidly due to the melting of the glaciers that feed it in the Andes and the shortened rainy seasons Bolivia has been experiencing as of late. Titicaca is known for the various indigenous peoples that inhabit its shores, and its relative proximity to the capital of Bolivia, La Paz.

(courtesy Wikimedia Commons)

La Paz claims the title of world's highest capital city, at 10,000 feet (some of its suburbs sit at over 13,000 feet, however). The mountain seen in the background, Illimani (nicknamed "the Guardian of La Paz"), rises to 21,200 feet, and is snow-covered throughout the year. La Paz has a metropolitan area of about 2.4 million, and has a pretty impressive skyline for the capital city of one of the poorest nations in South America. However, over the past 15 years Bolivia's political climate has become a lot more stable, and the country has taken advantage of its great resources of tin and other metals. The city is still a very cheap place to visit for tourists; it ranks 270 out of the 282 largest non-US cities in the world for ex-pats to live in.

Great Pics

(courtesy Wikimedia Commons)

This beautiful locale is the coast of the island of Corfu, Greece. It is the 2nd largest of Greece's Ionian Islands. Therefore, it's probably located in the eastern Mediterranean, right? Actually, not. The Ionians are off Greece's northwest coast, near its border with Albania and in the Ionian Sea. Not only does it contain amazing coastline such as this, but its capital city, Corfu town, is a sight in its own. It has been designated a Kastropolis, or castle town, by the Greek government due to the city being surrounded by several of these. The old town has also been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Not surprisingly, Corfu is a pretty popular summer tourist destination for many Europeans.

(South Castle; courtesy Wikimedia Commons)

Here is an interesting Greek mythological tale explaining the origin of the island's name (thanks to Wikipedia):

The island is connected to the history of Greece from the beginning of Greek mythology. Its Greek name, Kerkyra or Korkyra, is related to two powerful water symbols: Poseidon, god of the sea, and Asopos, an important Greek mainland river.^[2] According to myth, Poseidon fell in love with the beautiful nymph Korkyra, daughter of Asopus and river nymph Metope, and abducted her, as was the custom among gods of the era's myths. Zeus was a serial offender.^[2] Poseidon brought Metope to the hitherto unnamed island and, in marital bliss, offered her name to the place: Korkyra,^[2] which gradually evolved to Kerkyra (Doric).^[3] Together, they had a child they called Phaiax, after whom the inhabitants of the island were named: Phaiakes. This term was transliterated via Latin to Phaeacians. The island's history is laden with battles and conquests, indicative of Corfu's turbulent position in a historical vortex lasting until the modern period.

Grrrreat!

The best start to a day, in my mind, is to a) have a great breakfast with a bunch of coffee after sleeping to your heart's content (though not too late..) and b) getting in a great workout after letting your stomach settle.

Well, that's exactly what I was able to do today. After slumbering for awhile this AM, I brewed a fresh pot of Kona blend coffee (my new favorite) and then set to cooking up a delicious scramble. I used 3 jumbo eggs to start. Then, I chopped up 1/2 a ripe Roma tomato, some sweet onion, and cubed some pepperjack cheese. I also cut up some chicken teriyaki bites I'd bought from the store, and added some diced BBQ chicken to boot. I scrambled it all up, then added some medium red salsa, and mixed that in too. It was fantastic! I was thinking I might need some toast with peanut butter to complement it, but that was not necessary. Even got to watch some morning Sportscenter to go along with it.

A little later, after doing some fantasy baseball analysis and making plans for later in the day, I decided it was high time I go for a run. The weather wasn't really cooperating, so I headed for my apartment complex's small gym, which includes a pretty decent treadmill and a TV. I wasn't sure exactly how far i was going to go, I just knew that I wasn't going to pay attention to it (i.e. covering up the distance marker). After 3.5 miles, I was feeling pretty good, but just didn't really feel like running for much longer, so I went ahead and more or less sprinted the last 1/2 mile. Needless to say, sweat was flyin'. It felt fantastic, and my head is in a great place right now. It's a shame I don't exercise in the morning more often, but I'm just in the habit of doing so in the late afternoon or evening, depending on my schedule. And I know that once I start with my residency, there's no way I make it a habit of getting up at 5:45 to go for a jog or lift weights...or is there?

Great Pics

I realized as I was surfing today how much I love coming across random beautiful photographs of nature and cityscapes from around the world. And with that, I decided it'd be fun to introduce you (and myself) to random photos of places you may or may not have heard of from 'round this incredible planet. Here's one I came across today that blew me away-

This is the Fenda de Tunavala ("hole" in the Tunavala precipice) in Angola. I guess it's fairly rare to have a cloudless shot of this place, since it's so near the Atlantic Ocean that most of the time it's shrouded in mist. It's 4,600 feet from top to bottom - yes, of nearly sheer cliffside. Angola is certainly a nation that I can't say is near the top of my list, or even my African to-do list, but would definitely be a place worth visiting! (make sure to click on the picture to show it in full-size format)

This, however, is absolutely on a must-do list. It's Cappadocia, Turkey, a karst landscape in which people have lived IN for centuries. There are thousands of natural caves in these rocks due to their soft nature, and many more that are man-made. You can even stay in them because some ingenious entrepreneurs decided it'd be a good idea to build some hotels inside them. The other big draw of Cappadocia is the abundance of hot air balloon operators in the area that take advantage of the incredible landscape.

One more place you've likely not heard of are the Phi Phi Islands off the coast of Thailand. They're world-renowned for their rock climbing. Images like this always make me think of southern China or Vietnam, but apparently these rock formations exist in Thailand, too. My friend Rob Greenfield recently tripped through Thailand and saw sights very similar to this one. Even if I didn't go for the rock climbing, the photography opportunities alone would make it worth it! Throw in a warm climate, beautiful seas, and a great exchange rate, and I say let's go!

I plan on keeping up with this and posting more interesting pictures of places you may not have heard of in the future, so keep checking back!

Life Is Good

So it's been awhile, huh? My last post was about 2 months ago, and I guess you could say a ton has happened since then. Let's recap:

1) I went to Minneapolis for 5 weeks and completed my hospital pharmacy rotation at Ridgeview Medical Center in Waconia. Living with Erin was nice, especially since it will probably never happen again. It was good to spend some time getting to know Mike better, as well (her husband). What was best, however, was being just a 15 minute drive away from Amy. We were able to spend a lot of time together - we'd meet at Kona for happy hour dinner on a weekly basis, and every weekend we spent with each other.

2) I learned that Dubuque, IA was where'd I'd be for the next year of my life. I got a residency with Mercy Medical Center and the University of Iowa's community pharmacy residency program! I'm stoked to start July 1st.

3) Amy and I went apartment hunting in Dubuque a few weeks ago, and after looking at 5 different digs, we settled on a brand-new loft-style apartment right by the river and downtown. It's absolutely incredible, and we can even have a small dog! Looking forward to the rooftop deck with views of the river, the 42" flatscreen TV that comes with it, the coffee shop and gym on the first floor, and the location right on Main St.

4) I've been playing a ton of tennis the past few weeks, and Amy and I played both days this weekend. We are really excited to be able to play a lot this summer, and we're both improving pretty steadily. We're both pumped to play in the annual Washburn tennis tournament in August, which will probably be the next time I'm back home.

5) Speaking of home, I visited both my parents last weekend. On Friday, I spent time with my mom, and we had a great dinner at the Deepwater Grille and then I was able to use the hot tub for the first time in awhile! In the morning we played indoors tennis since the weather was "meh". Later on, I went to my dad's and got to play with their new puppy, Puff, for the first time. He is no Jinx, but he's going to be an awesome member of the fam. Then, we went to dinner at the Good Thyme, an incredible restaurant outside Washburn, and finished the night listening to some music at StageNorth. Great night! Sunday was spent lounging around the house and just enjoying being on the big lake.

6) I've started preparing for graduation and taking care of things that need to be done. May 15 the is the graduation, but the following weekend in Minneapolis is when my whole family will actually be together to celebrate and party :)  Have to say I"m really looking forward to that! We'll also be celebrating Dane and Erin's graduations at that time. I've also started to get a handle on my loan repayments, and am in the process of applying for income-based repayment, so that with my residency salary I'll be able to handle payments. I registered to take the pharmacy boards and am applying for licensure in Iowa, and the total cost of all that is $1,000 !! Not very cool, and very daunting, too. I also made the decision that, assuming my car holds up, I'm going to hold off on getting a new one until next year, when I have a full pharmacist's salary. Sad, but true. It's ok, it's not exactly a pressing need at the moment...

So, that's what's news! Lots of good stuff, including my fantasy baseball team's recent surge in the standings. Looking forward to the next few months, outside of actually taking the NAPLEX and actually moving my stuff to Dubuque, but other than that I'm really excited about everything. Life is good...