The Lessons of Misadventures

Since coming to Utah, I've managed to get myself into a number of interesting situations.  Some of them due to my own foolhardiness, and others due to circumstances out of my control.  Come to think of it, the majority are really due to my foolhardiness.  I think the thinner air is clouding my judgement.  

First, there was the time the day after I got here that Ana and I ran out of gas because I decided not to fill up on a quarter tank, even though I was advised to.  In my defense, I was also told that we were driving 45 minutes (more like 90 minutes) and that there would be gas where we were going (except it was in a town 30 minutes away).  It being my first day and all, I was unaccustomed to the rarity of the Utah gas station.  Ok, excuses are over, you can go on thinking about how silly I was.  Luckily there was another car with us who was able to go ahead and fill up a gas can.  However, we kept driving to see how far we could get, and we made it a lot further than we thought, which led to the other car tragically passing and missing us.  Aaannnddd there was no cell service.  In the end, the poor other car filled with people I just met and who I would be spending a lot of time with ended up driving an extra hour and a half or so all trying to locate where we had stopped.  While all this is happening, we're sitting ducks and Ana has to listen to all my venting about how stupid and frustrating the whole situation is.  Needless to say, I felt pretty bad, and they haven't let me forget it.

Utah lesson #1: Don't leave Green River without at least half a tank.

Then, there was that time during Labor Day camping that I decided to climb a tree.

Which really isn't a big deal in itself, but when I sort of shimmied up the trunk to get to a higher branch, I didn't really consider how I might eventually get down.  So I ended up on this branch about 20 feet above the ground, stuck.  After much deliberation, I crawled backwards down this whole branch while the others freaked out.  They decided that the ground was still too far away for me, so while I was crawling they kept driving the car around under me in hopes of breaking my fall.   Eventually I dropped onto the hood, and I'm pretty sure I left a dent.

I know what you're thinking: Why would you think that's a good idea?!?  You and Bryan both.  Well, it's a good question... that I don't have the answer to. 

Utah lesson #2:  Don't climb up anything you can't climb back down.   

The other weekend I needed to go about an hour and a half to Grand Junction, the closest city to us (it's about the size of Lafayette).  I was going to get some labs done, and about halfway there realized I had forgotten some crucial papers.  After some frantic phone calls, poor Armando had to leave the comfort of his couch on a Saturday afternoon, crawl in our window because the house was locked, retrieve my papers, and scan/email them to me.

Utah lesson #3: ... you have to drive too far here to forget things.  Get yourself together. 

Most recently, I went on a short hike with a friend in less-than-ideal gear (jeans and high-tops, no supplies except water).  Halfway through, my nose suddenly started bleeding and neither one of us had anything to stop it with.  I eventually controlled it by a combination of letting it gush and using an old paper from his pocket.  By the time it was done, my face and shirt looked as though I'd killed a wild bunny with my teeth, and I had to use leaves from a nearby bush to clean myself up.  I most definitely broke Utah rule #1: Leave No Trace.  

Utah lesson #4: Hike prepared for anything.  

These stories are in addition to a bunch of smaller things like climbing on a cliff without ropes, having to jump off a 10 ft. rock into a river of interminable depth without a life jacket, frequently forgetting things on my shopping lists, almost getting stuck inside a large crevice, etc., which are making me wonder whether my life is completely following the pattern of my older sister Heather, who I feel totally got more scatterbrained the older she got.  (;

Bryan just before he crosses the tiny cliff ledge.  It's pure coincidence that Bryan is in both of these pictures, in case you're feeling nosy. 

Maybe it's just that there's more potential for things to go wrong in Utah.  I mean the most dangerous thing you could do in Indiana is probably drive a car.  Or maybe stand next to a vending machine.  Or take a selfie... I've heard those cause more deaths than sharks these days.  

Whatever the case, I think the overall lesson here is to just fully think through things before you do them.  Which apparently isn't my strongest suit.  

      

My People

The evening I arrived here with my friend Ana, after 20 or so hours of driving stretched over a couple of days, I was greeted off the interstate by two crazies grinning and waving flags.  These crazies are now my roommate/office mate (Hope) and my supervisor (Justin).  When we got to the house I share with Hope and another girl, I found reading materials about Green River on a bed already made for me, and we had a melon tasting featuring several varieties of Green River's finest.  We also made an 11:00 pm visit to the truck stop, West Winds, for breakfast (served 24 hours). It was as good as you can imagine a breakfast at a 24-hour truck stop could be.

My bed when I got here. So cute. And yes, it's a bright blue bunk bed.  It's great.

As these are the people I now spend a lot of my time with, I'd like to tell you a little about them.  If you come visit and meet them, don't creepily mention that you know all these things about them.  And if they ever find this blog... well... I apologize in advance.  

They accompanied me on my maiden kayak voyage on the Green, and there was a decent amount of bickering coming from the canoe- generally involving Justin's steering. 

Hope is an AmeriCorp VISTA as well, but she works primarily with the youth programs that PACT runs.  Because we're short on staff, she plans after-school and summer programs as well as spends every day with the kids.  

She's quirky, funny, and quick to argue, which means that we often spar about silly things.  We definitely both like to have a little fun, sometimes at others' expense, like the time we decided to tell the poor girl working at Which Wich that our names were Jane and Ambrosia.  To her credit, the girl called the name Ambrosia with a totally straight face when my sandwich was ready. 

Because, you know, when you live an hour and a half away from a Target, every trip is an adventure.

She loves green olives, books and movies, especially Edward Scissorhands, The Fight Club, and V for Vendetta, outrage (she just likes to get angry about things), odd television shows from the 90's, sleeping deeply, HARRY POTTER, sarcasm, anime, and chocolate milk, among many other things.  Our food tastes are fairly different, but her redeeming qualities are that she likes her steak medium-rare and she loves apple cider.  She's probably also good for my bones- there have been many an evening that we've bonded in the kitchen over glasses of Nesquik and milk.  

I was trying to wake her up by saying her name, but I was unsuccessful after about 6 tries.  She eventually woke up, mumbled some answer to my question, promptly fell back asleep, and didn't remember any of it later.  Side note: Hope can pull off a bandanna really well.  Like, better than anyone I know.

We picked out some truly hideous thrift store wall art for our living room.

She's probably said countless funny things, but these are some of my favorite Hope quotes. 

"Amber is the most optimistic person I know." 

... either Hope either knows a lot of super pessimistic people, or I'm a little different than I used to be.  Probably a little of both.  

"I'm sorry for the noise. I would put my headphones in, but I washed them AND dried them yesterday."

After our favorite girl didn't win the Melon Days Queen Pageant: 
"I'm going to go home and eat a lemon to get this bitter taste out of my mouth."  

The funny part is that she was totally serious.  We didn't have lemons, so she drank some lemon juice instead. 
  
"Look at you and your fancy grilled cheese.  You just walk in here after I make my normal grilled cheese and make me look bad.  You make me sick." 

Just for the record, my grilled cheese had tomato and deli turkey on it... 

She's also only 20, and in some ways it's like having a piece of my sister here.  I definitely lucked out in the roommate department.  

Hope did Rylie's make-up for the Junior Melon Queen Pageant while I worked on her hair.  

Once upon a time, Justin was a VISTA here in Green River, and life eventually brought him back to take the Director position for PACT.  

Justin is a child.  Yet, somehow, also an old soul.  He owns every Disney movie before Frozen, he's a huge Star Trek nerd, and his wardrobe is composed only of thrift store steals.  I think his favorites are his Grandpa cardigan and the Wendy's employee green short sleeve button up.  I need not even say that I would do some serious work on his wardrobe if I were ever allowed.  He loves being barefoot, so he often comes to the office in flip flops.  More often than not, his pants are dirty from crawling under the van to check it or running around in the dirt with the kids.  He's slightly obsessed with Ireland, which kind of makes sense since he graduated from Notre Dame (I've forgiven him... ).

He's quite particular about random things, like not passing both the salt AND pepper when someone just asks for one of them.  He's decided that items such as anything plastic and normal shampoo are things to be avoided, and he's just generally a little anti-consumerism.  Unless it's potato chips, chocolate, or any number of things that he binge eats in lieu of a meal (and then scolds me for not eating a proper lunch).  

He's a little bit of a push-over with the kids, but also pretty perceptive about when they're lying.  He loves to make theological or other esoteric references/jokes when talking with them, particularly when they're being mouthy.  It's probably an avoidance tactic.    

This is also the man who came up with 25 of the simultaneously worst and best interview questions ever, which everyone should probably be able to answer.  If you're interested, some of them below.  I think the "defensive" question was pretty eye opening.  I've never had to answer it so directly, and in thinking about it since I've definitely seen patterns emerge.  For a good time, just spring the questions on your friends in casual dinner conversation.

In spite or (or perhaps because of) their quirks, I genuinely feel that it's a pleasure to work with these two, and I wouldn't trade them.

In one of the first meetings I had with Justin, it came up that I hadn't yet managed to eat at the Chow Hound (old fast food place in town).  He immediately stood up and said, "we're going to get cheese sticks".  Priorities.

The interview (in part. food position questions were removed):

Who are you?
What do you want?
How would you define service?
When you have a stressful decision, how do you make it?
What is your spirit animal?
What are you defensive about?  Why?
What have you learned from someone else?
How do you try to improve yourself?
Why does color exist?
How would your personal creativity contribute to this organization?
What is your favorite team that you've been a part of?
What motivates you?
Describe a choice you've made and how it affected others.  What did you learn?  What were the consequences?
How have you identified and addressed a personal weakness?
How do you work with new and diverse cultures?
Describe your personal philosophy in seven words.  Elaborate on the meaning if you'd like.