11.14.05
Rented a zipcar and went out to the shenandoah valley in northern VA to check out the skyline drive, part of the national park service. Got to see a lot of changing fall foliage and quite a bit of roadkill. Had a chance to walk down a forest trail and see a small waterfall. Even walking in the woods has a different feel from back home, it made me think about the days hiking on the big island by kilauea, ka’u desert and the switchbacks over waimanu valley.
amazing as to how big and vast the land is on the mainland, growing up on an island you get used to seeing the ocean always in sight more or less over the horizon. Additionally the impressions one gets of the East coast is metropolis from here to there, really DC is a little dot on the Eastern seaboard and is pretty small compared to the land when you go out west.
Been getting more or less used to driving in the area, it is different than back at home, defensive driving takes on a different meaning. Luckily I’ve only been driving on the weekend when most people aren’t in as crappy moods and aren’t in as much of a rush. I suppose I’ve been stretching my wings out a bit more as of late, in more ways than one.
More reading for classes, days go by and I’m cautious in saying that I think I’m getting better at this new style of reading and digesting, although the real test will be after finals of course. have to say that it’s all “making sense” in that I dont’ feel like anything I’m reading is out of intellectual grasps, that is I’m not intimidated at all with the material. then again I think I felt that way about O-Chem and Calc once upon a time. no like bachi just quite yet.
Going to Vegas for Thanksgiving, hoping to meet up with Iso and a bunch of the boyz, been a while since I’ve caught up with most of them, we’re all over the country by now, none of us back home. Funny, I always pictured that most of us would be home for good, none of us really seemed the mainland type growing up.
Still working out scheduling details for a trip home for Xmas, debating if its worth the extra kala to stick around the area instead. Realizing that my winter breaks are a lot shorter than what I’m used to, and theres the work factor, even though I have enough leave saved up, I could actually use the extra time later towards the end of the spring semester.