I made videos! kinda lame-o, but sometimes funny.

the above video is a brief intro to the beach in Salter Path, NC

In the above video, we discuss a few animals found in Bogue Sound, NC

This above video talks about a native plant that can be made into tea called, Illex Vomitoria (Yaupon Holly)

Rip Curl Pipe Master Final - Slats/AI/Machado/Lopez

Pipeline Masters Final

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Just thought I'd share with everyone!

Slater lost in a close bout with Irons, but a great final!

Kiva.org - Microlending is changing the world!

Nearing the corner of Christmas, I feel compelled to talk a little about an organization I truely think is doing something to help others. I am not the only one who shares this idea. Recently this year, the Nobel Committee awarded their Peace Prize to Yunus Grameen for microfinance. Although lending to the poor is not new, including 'microfinance,' Kiva's approach seems ripe with 'Web 2.0'

From their webpage, you can donate in $25 dollar increments to an enterprise of your choosing, thus creating a portfolio. Each profile is rich in learning of the prospective borrower's business, although no detailed business plan is available. What I feel is effective about the way Kiva operates lies in it's torrent-like way to garner money.

On their site you can create a profile which is showcased with others on the entrepreneur's profile page. Also included, once the borrower is fully funded, is a journal in which they update you on their progress and 'prosperous' business. Once they pay the borrowed amount in full, you will be credited back with the original amount of money you invested, which you can withdrawl or reinvest into another business.

What I feel unique about giving this way is that you feel connected to the borrowers although you are thousands of miles away. Kiva presumably spends a lot of time finding the right partner lending institutions to disperse their funds where the loans are low interest from qualified borrowers. Here is their due dilligence on choosing 'Field Partners'

So if you are in the giving mood, have a paypal account or credit/debit card and $25 dollars, you can give a far reaching gift that will have an impact on someone's life, possibly whole families.

A few cautions:

• Kiva claims 100% repayment so far and say to diversify your loans to more than one organization rather than all into one business.
• If repayment is not made, it is not tax deductable since it is a loan and you will not get your money back (although you should treat it as a donation)
• There is no interest gained on this investment

Please do not let these cautions sway your decision to give, if not in money....to something that you believe in!

Empowerment. Sustainability. Hope.

season of giving!

So, I've not posted in nearly a month or so, but I'd like to defend this late posting to the fact that I have indeed been very busy!

Ahh, how the holiday season takes hold, especially in times of cold;
people bundle together or want to be closer;
so the giving spirit embraces our souls

what a great way to take part;
but to give, not recieve the abundance of love;
the heart grows fonder in apropos;

for the many faces of the sparkle, glimmer;
shine into dark corners, revealing what might not have known;
as the greatest give is to love, without condition or ration;

a gift will present in a time of need;
because we all must love, in these times indeed;
the hour draws near for many a convergence;

a place of fortitudes, solidifying urgency;
to create hope in this world, unbounded;
outcry to those in far off places;

not just places far, distancewise;
but to other planes, emotionwise;
how can you be cold and not cover up;

hope in this world warms my soul;
how about yours, inspire your role;
in your heart you will listen;

beat beat, listen;
you're alive now and then;
feel the world grow, not just immediate bustle;

Okay, so i got off on a tangent and started to write in code...poetic code, that is. But I feel good at the turn of this month, in the way things are going and the possibilities that linger. I hold on to things sometimes to my detriment, but I am letting go. Letting go and trusting myself have been obstacles in my growth. I need to make big decisions which lend to my wellbeing in the near future.

So yeah, I've been busy. Working usually takes up 95% of my days, with kids, coworkers, and in thought about what to do for the next day. It is a good feeling to be working in a place that places such high value on quality, comraderie, compassion, and teamwork.

I have grown immensly lately just by working like I normally would. The difference is how I am approaching everything and living wide-open. I recently took the GRE, did well enough to be proud, and also have been working on some meaningful projects at work outside of my regular duties. Not to jinx things, I will be posting at a later date on more details on what my projects entail, but they should stand as something I leave behind at Sound to Sea that will have a lasting impact.

Going to graduate school or continuing to find work have been ever-pressing on my near future. As much as I love my current job, it is not sustainable to me financially. I have been looking at jobs lately and also graduate school programs, both of my searches and research being very very diverse in the job fields and academic programs, but I am diligent and propelled to find something that makes me happy with myself. I maintain my need to make a large impact on society and hope that either training formally in the Academe or through experience in another job will enable my aspirations to be actualized.

As the year comes to an end, I feel like I've made many strides towards my goals of who I want to become and how I want to live. I thank, truely thank, my close friends and coworkers for this progress, for without them, I feel I would have a large void and not be a better person.

I have been given a lot :)

things are GRE-at

so yeah, im taking the GRE....Graduate Record Examination...tomorrow and I feel oddly relaxed. I've studied my butt off and taken a few test practices, but I feel like I should be a little nervous, but the fact is that things are okay; things are good.

What do you say when you have a group of outstanding coworkers and children/teacher/chaperones? I say you live it up! Although busy, this past week has been very good for me in the fact that I am more confident in my teaching, not to mention that I was evaluated by my bosses last week...which went super great. I feel validated and also like my work has been paying off! This time last year, I would not consider myself a competent teacher.

I think a lot of people should consider teaching and it's rewards, especially those who might be a little timid, but where do I want to go???!!! In my life, that is....

Well the other night i was talking to one of my friends/coworkers (thanks Cheryl) on things I could do in the future and she thought I should be a professor!! It's kinda funny she said that because I actually have never entertained that idea before, but it makes sense. I will be around a bunch of idealistic people, be able to talk all of the time, while doing research on cool things, and also being able to write grants and help others! Who could ask for more, right? Well, I definitely feel like I am moving and starting to shake the coconuts out of the tree.

The GRE will be a great starting point for me to align myself and think about 4 to 10 more years of education. Phew....could I overcome that hurdle? I get distracted by so many different areas of knowledge.

times are busy: this weekend I will be taking the GRE, then next weekend I will be in cambridge, ma for a job interview, then the following weekend I will be turning 27 along with some turkey lovin.

times fly by!

Slats and his 8th world title!!!

How amazing it is to actually see someone accomplish this feat. To have been in an ultra-competitive environment as long as Kelly has, and to still be at the top is amazing! If there were any doubts about Kelly Slater being the greatest competitive surfer ever, they have evaporated! In character, spirit, drive, and inspiration, Kelly truely has become one of my heros.

You may ask why I like Kelly so much? Well, i like surfing, of course, but more importantly, I strive to somehow, oneday, become as good at something like he has...from learning about him and watching him, I find him a great person, and an innovator! I'm not a very great surfer, nor am I good anything to a degree that would merit 'World's Best'...but it gives me hope that maybe one day I can do something as cool as that! (this pic is from ASP's website...i copied it, then cropped it...)

marriage, engagement, and babies

Well, this has been an exciting weekend!

My friends Darren and Kim got married this past saturday, my little sister Michelle has a healthy baby, and my cousin got engaged!

When good things happen, they happen in groups.....Im exhausted!

Between driving and riding a lot this weekend, keeping a nervous groom at ease and helping getting a wedding together, having a million phone calls, and hearing lots of good news, it seems this definitely is harvest season!

I hope to post pictures in the near future, but until then, I am super excited for everyone.

I guess it's time for me to meet someone too...sheesh

insight, independence, and i

October seems to always creep up on me.....no matter the year. Well here it is....OCTOBER '06!

Things have been busy for me lately, but I do have to say that I have been enjoying my 'busy-ness' I feel like the longer I am immersed in nature, the more profound understandings of myself become exposed.

I tend to appreciate things more, little things...little people, and little gestures that random people do for me.

I like bugs more now (which, if you know me, is amazing news since ive been deathly scared of bugs since I was little)...like argiope spiders, rolypolies, damsel fly nymphs, and grasshoppers...I also am starting to finally and totally let things shed away pastwise. I really don't care, well I care, just am not as interested in holding onto things that have brought me down lately. I've accepted what has happened in my life's past, and I am here now as consequence, or more as reward.

I am coming into my own - and finally feeling more like an adult.

Found a baby snapping turtle yesterday and just stared at him/her for almost an hour trying to figure out how it felt right before I snatched him from the ghost crab that was going to eat him. It kept on being itself and didn't really care if I was holding him/her or not, just that it could crawl how it wanted.

I want to crawl...and not be afraid of doing what I want and need. I think I am there now and ready to fully apply myself in any endeavor.

I can soar like a hawk...like the red tailed hawk on my arm yesterday. it bated and squeezed its talons through my glove, but looked at me in a knowing way (it's okay, im just trying to get balance) So I trusted him.

I like validation in my efforts and knowledge...and it felt really good today when my bosses gave me good feedback on my teaching...but something was different in myself, something that I just realized about myself...the fact that although the feedback keeps me striving to be better, I can do things. Do things that make me who I am.

I guess it's kinda hard to articulate what I feel, but feel I do...more passionately than I have in a while about myself....and what I want and what I have interface to create this comforting web of independence and ambition.

You are a Social Liberal (71% permissive) and an... Economic Liberal (21% permissive) You are best described as a: Strong Democrat Link: The Politics Test on Ok Cupid Also: The OkCupid Dating Persona Test

Podcasting in my classes!

Well, the debut of podcasting for reflection in my classes has finally arrived!!!

I am sooo excited about continuing to do this!

We recently had a wonderful school who was in full support of interviewing their children!

The two podcasts focus on pollution and sea turtles. It was pretty fluid using conservation as the theme, and I was very delighted on how the kids focused on the issues and not the fact that they were talking into a microphone.

I am using wordpress 2.0 which runs great natively for podcasting...to which there are some pretty stable plugins.

Here is the site

In other news, I am testing out the uses of Moodle to run in an outdoor education environment. I am not sure if it will be suited for our type of curriculum, and might pose to be too much work for us to keep up with. The whole idea of having the site is to extend the learning after the students who experience our program continue to utilize our knowledgebase and for teachers to use the site as a 'hand-off' for when they are back in the classroom.

Moodle is an awesomely extensible platform with many modules for gradebooks, theme customization, and very easy visual installation.

Both Wordpress and Moodle took about 30 minutes to completely install, minus ftp'ing the files to the server.

the more surfing the better!!

Ahhh. Today, yesterday, last week.....Ernesto, Florence...GREAT!

So I went surfing :D I am worn out, but feel good. What is really cool is that I have some surf buddies now! Lately surfing has been fun, but with the added bonus of sharing 'sweet' rides, I am totally stoked. They are newbies, but are rapidly adapting. They definitely CHARGE!

I am really excited about working with my coworkers at Sound to Sea, seeing as how talented they are. After a solid week of teaching and seeing how the kids react to them...I can already tell we are going to have a great year full of surfing and good times!

Update on me

So I haven't really been blogging much lately on here. Things have been pretty busy since I've been working 'outdoors' with children which has kept me a little more unplugged than usual.

We recently finished up our Summer Day Camp for younger children. It was very fun and laid back with us being in the water half of the day, swimming at the beach or pool, but I really missed the meat of my job. I truely can say that I love teaching, and in a few weeks I will be able to concentrate more on conveying knowlege rather than making crafts. The unfortunate part is that some of our staff are now moving on into different positions, so they will be missed, but we have very capable and awesome new staff aboard.

It still, in my few years out of college, amazes me how amazingly cool the people I've met in my various positions. World travellers, scientists, activists, conservationists, and genuinely interesting and sincere people who want to change this world into a place where everyone can enjoy a better life. How inspiring!

It's just, and I think a recurring theme for myself, where do I fit into this fabric? As I sit on the edge of where I am going, I start to get a little nervous about my future and what it holds. With the ever-present escalation of war and tragedy, I also find myself wondering how I can be a part of the solution. Rather, I wonder how I can be in the position where I can make decisions that help others most effectively. I could go into politics, become a lawmaker, lobbyist, or elected leader or I could go into nonprofit world where I do some politics, provide direct service and aid to the needy.....or I could educate others with the knowledge that intensifies my passions and hope they also feel the same.....or be a scientist where some discovery or health issue may be mitigated.

I guess the question for me is how can I effect the most change as a single person? Do I have the charisma and integrity for politics? Do I have the creativity to discovery something that will enable society to be more free or able? Am I an effective enough teacher to teach discernment and critical thinking with a moral mission?

I don't know....but I want answers and I feel school is the best beginning.

I like many things and am getting prepared to take the GRE for graduate school in a few months, but find myself at a crossroads into what sort of education I need.

They don't tell you explicitly how to find the tools to be a good leader or good steward.

Chomsky at West Point

Although this is somewhat of an old video, i thought it expressed some points on how military institutions truncate or censor someone's message when it exposes a relatively unknown (in the general public) negative aspect of U.S. history or news. Now I may be taking it out of context when, at the end of this video, the gentleman interrupts Chomsky and say's they 'are constrained to military time', but it does seem ironic.

Koji and Naazli

I recently had an adventure with friends Koji and Naazli in Cincinnati, Ohio...and found out some good news!!!

Podcasting in Outdoor/Environmental Education!

Just Click below to listen :D Enjoy!

powered by ODEO


This podcast is just some vocal notes (usually when I say something, it's harder for me to forget) on utilizing podcasting for reflection for my students in the fall.

As as sidenote: I've really been starting to play around with Odeo Studio and Audacity!!! There is sooooo much you can do!

Let the Podcasting Begin!!!

Below is an introduction of myself and my purpose for podcasting...more to come!

powered by ODEO

Nail it down!

It seems as though yesterday I was in high school sitting in a classroom where I thought nothing of my future, but the next wrestling match or perfect surfing journey.

Fast forward to today...where my priorities have dramitically shifted, and my future sits presently in my 'living'room. Where am I going? How am I getting there? Who am I, and what do I really want?!?

The only major constants in my life have been to contribute positively to society, be a good big brother, son, uncle, friend and loving husband & father (one day)...

Am I making progress? Certainly...but it seems slow because of my indecisiveness and inability to choose a solid career path. I am a career gypsy of sorts, hopping from one interest to another; notwithstanding my youth and propensity to be intensely focused for short bursts which accounts for my jump from idleness to research, to computers, to education, and finally to my realization of how I must advance my formal education.

Hallmark of me in choosing a program in which to enroll is the gamut of disciplines. Recently I have been thinking of applying to a Coastal Environmental Management program, Master of Arts in Teaching, Master of Social Work, Computer Science, Masters of Information Science, Masters in Educational Leadership...blah, blah, blah

What to do?

I want to continue to work as well so I can support myself and build experience. I guess it is just a frustrating time for me in what I should choose. However, I increasingly feel that I should already know! I'm single, almost 27, no children and have established some formal training and experience...shouldn't I be entering a career? I can go anywhere, right?

My current job is wonderful, but unfortunately somewhat temporary as I'm on contract (again, like americorps). While I am learning so much from my coworkers and supervisors and having a blast playing with kids on the beach, the pay is not ideal (still considered poverty) while also considered transitional and meant as a stepping block to a teaching or educational career. I love teaching, but am torn in thinking that is my primary career focus.

I have a lot of passion for technology and its uses, fighting inequality across all barriers, while also wanting to be an entrepreneur, social activist, techno-saavy-open-source-evangelist, and a globetrotter.

Can I do it all?

Maybe, but here I am trying to figure it out in one night.

Muggles learn to make invisibility cloak without magic!

Apparently, Duke University's Pratt School of Engineering and Imperial College London have found a way to manipulate the electromagentic spectrum to cloak objects , using 'metamaterials'.

It's actually quite fascinating! And although it's hard to imagine the implications, technology like this could expose the Wizarding world!!

Electromagnetic waves would flow around an object hidden inside the metamaterial cloak just as water in a river flows virtually undisturbed around a smooth rock

- Dr. Smith

here is the link for the news story:
http://dukenews.duke.edu/2006/05/cloaking.html

If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy. -James Madison, fourth US president (1751-1836)

Love for Science!

After a solid 3 weeks of teaching gradeschool children about coastal ecology, I can honestly say I feel closer to our environment and more excited about science that I've been since I was little!! This sentiment has also afforded me a lot of new knowledge about whales, sharks, beaches, saltwater marshes, and succession. The main reason I took leave of science is because I got burned out of trying to become a doctor, which is a bottleneck field and very competitive.

Health is fascinating, interesting, and totally saves lives, but the pressure, responsibility, and expectation started to become overwhelming.

I chose to involve myself completely with computers and digital technology:
: Textbooks are free online -- there are so many how-tos
: It still satisfies my logic and analytical predisposition
: You can still help others through digital means

Now, it seems, I am torn between the two with my new profession:

All this nature has led me to a new level of romantic where I am looking inward and upward more, but truely feeling nature nurture and ground my life in a way that gives me peace. I used to get this nervous tick when I wasn't near a computer for an extended period of time, but now I can enjoy and appreciate being 'unplugged' for a stint.

I can definitely see how your stereotypical 'hippi' can be so mellow and see how things are so related. From chaos theory to an emotion, there is an echoing movement of consciousness or some harmonic that oscillates truth. . .

The beach is nice. I am lucky. I love science!