the results are in

Howdy. We have some real news this time. First of all it's thanksgiving and we're going to eat this:


Also, we're moving here:

I got a job offer as a hydrogeologist for a groundwater and environmental consulting firm in Boca Raton, Florida where it will be my job to help keep nastys like arsenic and chlorinated solvents out of the water systems. We're both pretty excited. We actually both got to fly down and visit the company and the town last week. Our airplane had to be de-iced when we left Salt Lake City but in Boca, the ocean was about 78 degrees and the birds were singing. Also there were a lot of old people.

Florida...

So, here's the deal...
Depending on an interview coming up this week we may in fact move to what our friend Adam refers to as the wang of the United States:
Eric has been in talks with a company out of Boca Raton for a position as a Hydrogeologist for quite some time now. They had mentioned wanting to fly him down for a second interview and said they would call to schedule the details. Well!, Monday he gets off the phone and looks at me and says, "So do you want to go to Florida next week!?" Immediately the synapses in my brain fire to pictures of sandy beaches and warm breezes only to then fall upon this question that I posed to Eric, "Why do they want ME to come?" So, I called my mom, who by occupation speaks the language of "hiring practices within the big kid career realm" and asked her opinion. After doing so, I realized this company's willingness to fly me across the country has everything to do with wooing us to the high cost of living (80% higher than Provo) that is Boca Raton (hello, $700 quarterly HOA fee) as well as making sure I'm not going to cause any sort of domestic disturbance for one of their potential employees by being a psycho wife that calls her husband at work eighty-four thousand times a day. How will they determine this? Well, they are taking us out to dinner which apparently is my opportunity to convince them I am a non-crazy sort of female... First impressions may help me in this cause so here is where the two people that follow this blog should submit their two cents.

I don't know what to wear.

Eric is no help. Sometimes I'll ask him which high heel to wear with an outfit to church on Sunday and he gives me a lamentable stink face that says, "Why do you even wear those torture devices at all? Also, tall girls are intimidating." I've gone through my closet... this is what I've come up with. Please take your pick and let me know your preference. I no longer live with five girls, with five other closets, and fashion advice in order to make a confident selection.

Things to keep in mind:

1) The difference in weather...
2) Being that it IS Florida, are people more laid back, due to their annual intake of sun resulting in heightened Vitamin D production, such that a business casual dinner is more informal in terms of dress?
3) These people are scientists... not power attorneys, which I'm assuming may mean they prefer practicality over show.
4) I have no idea what restaurant we are going to.
5) Eric will be wearing a tie.
6) We are getting off the plane, stopping at the hotel and then going straight out to dinner.
7) Obviously, I'm overthinking the whole thing.

We fly out on this Thursday the 19th, so take your pick and two cent away!

Almost there.

I turned in the seceond draft of my thesis today, and it looks like I'll have my thesis defense on December 1st. So if any of you find yourselves lying awake at night wondering whether or not you could use frequency domain electromagnetic induction or shallow high resolution seismic to characterize shallow hydrogeology in arid saline soils, just let me know... I'll send you a copy.

Rodents

We have rodents. Pet ones, that is. We've had two gerbils for quite a while now, still not dead, thanks to our supurb parenting skills. We just keep giving them all the PVP pipe their liitle teeth can handle and they keep living. We're ready for human babies now.

But now we also have two rats. Yep. We're the weirdos with four rodents. We didn't pay for them though I promise. We got them for free in order to rescue them from a boa constrictor. The rats are actually pretty cool. They sneeze a lot and sniff around.
You may remember earlier this year we made a couch. Well, it was pretty fun to build, but it wasn't terribly comfortable so we sold it on craigslist. Say goodbye to our homemade couch.

Update

Hey folks. I've been home from India now for almost two months and I'm finally getting around to putting up a few of my pictures. (none of the pictures from earlier posts are actually mine) I entered a photo contest at BYU with a few of my pictures.
Before I get to India though, let me tell you what's been going on. I've been trying to plan out the rest of my life. That's hard. I'm in the process of figuring out where I'm going to work and what I'm going to do for a career now that I'm almost done with my master's degree. So far I've applied to oodles of places and I'm getting close to hearing back from some of them. In the meantime I'm furiously trying to finish my thesis by the end of the week... or sooner!

On to India. I'll just include a few here.































Photo of monks listening to Dalai Lama by Chris Spencer

Days 9, 10 & 11: New Delhi & Leh

After having missed Eric's phone call on Saturday morning, needless to say I was a little bummed. However, not for long! Later that night I was at a friend's birthday party with Jonathon, karoke at SpoonMe, and I got a call from an unknown number. Unknown=India. Not having talked to him for over a week I was pretty excited. He told me he had had yak cheese for breakfast and that Indians aren't as good with English as much as people say they are. One must adopt an Indian accent to speak with Indians, which in my very ethnocentric American view would seem a bit racist, if I were in the States. How different things are when you simply change the zip code and find instead that you yourself are the minority. Anyway, he is good. He is fantastic actually and perhaps dead on his feet tired from the sound of it.
If there is a time during this trip Eric will feel altitude sickness it was yesterday and today. Sunday, after having woken up in Rishikesh, they ventured back through Haridwar to New Delhi for the night. Then yesterday morning they took a 400 mile plane ride to Leh, way up in the nethermost northern regions of India. Think Pakistani and Indian disputed Kashmir to the west and Tibet to the east and a difference of only 300 miles between the two. Also, from New Delhi to Leh there is a 12,000ft difference in elevation. This is where the altitude sickness meds hopefully came in handy. Eric doesn't like to take medicine if he doesn't have to normally and while packing realized that between the malarial pills, altitude meds, and other various handy remedies, (think calming the bowels of 19 days of foreign fare), he was likely packing more medicine than he had taken his entire life. At the time I thought to myself, "I definitely could never say that! ...Am I a pill popper?" Haha. So, between the flight yesterday and today, the group has been attempting to acclimate themselves to the elevation before doing anything strenuous. This means they've pretty much been chilling around Leh like a bunch of bums, taking in the sights and probably taking much needed naps. Apparently this also means hanging out with the Mayor of Leh, since they were hoping to stay in his guest house if it was available. Again, I'm just reporting on the itinerary I've been given. Perhaps I should have at least looked at it and asked questions before he left? Nah, I'm sure I'll get the nit an grit of it all after he wakes up from brushing off the jet lag upon return, as will all of you.

On a personal note... tonight I attended an AA meeting with the girls at work. For those of you who don't know, I am a courier for a local sub-acute psychiatric treatment center for teenagers with behavioral disorders. Last Monday this meant taking the campus dog, Charlotte, to the vet to get her anal glands "expressed". Charlotte is a bear weighing in at over 170lbs. Imagine me getting that thing in to a van. Today my job meant taking the girls to AA. It keeps me on my toes. As a courier we get lots of one on one time with the clients but rarely moments of deep self reflection. Ex, "Rihanna is a fool. I don't care if he's Chris Brown... nobody should let their man treat them like that." However, tonight quite a few of the girls shared their thoughts, not just in meeting but on the way back as well, ranging from "AA is so boring it makes me want to use!" to "self inventory is what saves me every day. It lets me know I don't have to use, I don't have to be perfect, but that I can take this time for me to take care of myself and progress. Alcoholism is cunning, you know? But, I know it doesn't have to control me, that I don't have to obsess about my next drink, and this is what gives me the opportunity to be myself again. To find myself again." Sometimes it is really great to simply have the opportunity to hear their most honest thoughts, that they would trust me, their staff, and others, who are complete strangers, with those most precious self reflections. At work I get to witness the tremendous amount of work that has to be done for some people to simply survive but I also get to see the amazing potential of the human resolve to carry on, to want something better, to know one's self through learning to love one's self and the courageous people who do it and as well as help facilitate it. Whether it be a therapist, client or fellow alcoholic so much of our opportunity to learn and grow comes through each other, not simply because of one another. That's all for now...

Tomorrow: Leh to Chilling, 11,000ft ASL and first day of fall semester.

Day 8: Rishikesh

So we've caught up to the present. Still along the Ganga river it looks like. This is the city Eric called from and I missed it. Whoops. It was still good to hear his voice. He sounds well if not a little tired and trepidatious of the "naaaaaasty" bed he was about to sleep on. Haha. Tomorrow: back through Haridwar to New Delhi

Days 6 & 7: Rishiganga & Nandapryag

I'm realizing that Eric's pictures are probably a better representation of what is going on. There was a lot of deliberation on his part about what to carry the camera equipment in. He bought a brand new pack but in the end decided it was too nice, thus too much of a target, to take with him. Instead he took an old Northface bag he already owned and had seen a Holi Festival of Colors or two so it looked rather beat up. After roaming all over Provo he bought some foam and made a makeshift carrying case inside the Northface hip bag. He was quite proud of himself. Anyway, I'm only going to post a picture from now on of where he might be so as not to steal his thunder on the awesome sites and scenes that are Uttaharkhand.
After staying the night at the hotel in Badrinath the group hiked and camped the Rashiganga valley and Nanda Devi. Again, this area is an approximate guess according to Google Earth. Either way, hauling a 45lb. pack around must be something crazy because in the valleys they are over 10,500ft ASL. I'm wondering if the altitude sickness is setting in yet.

Days 4 & 5: Joshimath and Badrinath

I'm starting to think that he is likely spending as much time on a bus, or train as he is walking around exploring. Doesn't look like they are quite in the research area yet, but it still seems like there is plenty to see. After leaving Pauri, the next stop is camping in Auli. You have to take this tram to get up there. Elevation: 6200ft ASL.


After camping in Auli there was another bus ride to Joshimath and arriving in Badrinath by lunch. I think it's in Badrinath that there is the temple Eric's friend, Chris, was telling us about. Chris has actually been in India since May working on research for his thesis. From what he told us, you wait in line for hours to walk inside for 5 minutes. Still it must be a pretty awesome place since they scheduled the rest of the day to roam around once they arrived. Can you imagine being on a bus doing those switchbacks?

Days 3 & 4: Haridwar & Pauri

BYU Geology Department is working with the university in New Delhi for this project and so after staying at their guest house there will be a four hour train ride to Haridwar. Imagine seeing this as you entered the city. Probably beats the pink plastic dinosaur in Vernal, UT.





After lunch in Haridwar they embarked on a tram ride to the top of frontal anticline of MFT. I have no idea what this means, haha. Then there is the ensuing bus ride to Pauri where they stayed in a hotel for the night. Check out those steps.

Days 1 and 2

After a 14 hour plane ride from SLC to Chicago and New Delhi Eric lands here.





This is an overview of his trip. You can see he is in the northern part of the country so no Taj Mahal pics.




The first week, in purple, he'll be in the state of Uttarakhand. The second leg of the trip, in blue, will be after flying up to Leh. At one point he will be only 15km from the Tibetan border. Google maps didn't show any road names up there or towns. The plot points I used were the names of mountains or valleys in which they will be camping, so I could be off by at least a 100 miles in some locations. Either way it gives us an idea.

Where in the world is...?

So I don't know why I waited a week to do this but I just thought of it today. I realized I have a very cursory itinerary of where Eric is and thought I would share it all with you. I'm going to start from the beginning so we can all catch up. The pictures included are not those he has sent but some I found online to give us an idea of where he is at.

***** This just in!... I'm an idiot: Eric and I have the same phones and I mistakenly took his this morning when I left the house. He called at 12:07. The only call he's been able to make. He's in a town called Rishikesh and was about to go to sleep on a really nasty bed but had gotten an hour massage for $5. Hopefully he'll call when he wakes up.

So I'm going to do this in different posts so there isn't one huge long one. Enjoy!

Coldplay... I heart.

Pretty much this will blow your mind.

Also, Eric texted me from New Delhi last night saying that he saw a pooping dog (10 points!) and that he is safe.

Cross that off the list.

We rode segways. It's been on my list of things to do before I die for quite a while now and I heard that you can rent them at the Thanksgiving Point gardens. The gardens are pretty cool just by themselves, but add a segway and you're going to have a good time... and look like a nerd.


Also, in case you were wondering if Henry and Willis are still alive you can rest easy. We have now managed to keep two mammals alive for a full six months. Here's the proof:

Alive and kicking!

For those of you not in Utah Eric and I are in fact still alive. This is a "last few months wrap up": As spring semester ended Eric finished the course work for his Masters and now "only" has a thesis to write. First week of May Eric presented at a conference in Death Valley and Johanna and Jonathon got married! We got to see Whitney and Danny in Vegas. We hiked up a slot canyon in Kanaraville and made friends with a rattlesnake. Then my summer semester started. Eric presented at a regional GSA (Geological Society of America) conference at UVU as well as TAed for geology field camp for BYU. After interviewing a schizophrenic I flew home to watch Jonathon graduate High School and turn 18 all on the same day. I got a call with a job offer while at his graduation ceremony working for Heritage School in Provo. I said: ...YES! At the end of the conversation the HR director asked if I wanted to know how much the position paid... (sigh) the desperation of an unemployed student is not hard to miss these days. Haha It's a residential treatment boarding school for teenagers with behavioral disorders. I get to drive kids to and from the airport, to dentist appointments, court dates and to go shopping. It's kind of this amazing feeling to like where I work and also be able to put on a professional resume, instead of bagel shop experience. The same day I started at Heritage Eric had an interview, extended by invitation, here in Provo for a local petroleum exploration company. After applying for over 45+ jobs in four months the following day they offered him the position. Eric Parks: Petroleum Explorer. No better feeling to go from two people unemployed to both getting paychecks within our fields of study in a matter of days. We can't help but feel kind of lucky.

Oh sleep walking dogs...

This made my morning when Eric showed me this:

Cheese making and EATING!

On Sunday Eric says, "ooOOOo!  Shall I cut the cheese?!"  This was followed by a silly Eric laugh and off he went to the living room closet where our two pound wheel of cheddar has been aging for the last month.  To see the cheese press Eric made click here.  So a month had gone by.  He had dutifully flipped the block everyday.  It was quite delicious.  

In other news the old Casa Dea roommates were back together again in February.  This was the crew that was together when I started dating Eric.  So much fun to sit around and eat things with friends who have lived with Eric and know how silly he can be.  

Robbie:  "Have you rescued Eric from being paralyzed after a nap yet?!  You know when he is all (Robbie makes a crazed face and gurgling noises in his throat)?"

Me:  Ahh yesss, many a time.  

Eric:  (Looking at Robbie)  Rescued?  You never rescued me!  I woke up and I couldn't move!  You walked into the living room and I looked up at you from the couch, trying to get your attention.  I was looking right at you!, and cursing at you too.  Especially when you just walked away.

Robbie:  (Laughs)  I thought you were having a seizure. 

Eric:  (Laughing)  So you walked away?!

Good times. 

Note:  For those of you that don't know Eric does the opposite of sleep walking.  When you sleep there is a part of your brain that shuts off movements to your body so you don't act out your dreams.  People who have problems with this sleep walk.  For some reason, if he takes naps during the day, sometimes his brain will wake up and he can open his eyes but his brain hasn't turned off this mechanism yet so he can't move.  This is when I hear loud gurgling noises and have to rush in to the bedroom pounce and shake him.  Haha.  All in a days work.