Thursday, December 20, 2012

Missing My Loves in Madison

So when Kiley and I get bored we find nerdy pick-up lines and try them out on each other. Since I'm on winter break and don't have anything better to do with my life besides post random pictures of the best pick-up lines found to date....please enjoy. Kiley tested, Megan approved.




My favorite

Perfect for Ky


I tried this on my buddy Drew - didn't work. Still funny as all heck.

Sunday, December 16, 2012

Editting Photos Instead of Studying Physics

Two of my great friends from UW-Madison graduated today! Congratulations to Jayme Moon and Stephanie Rieger! I'm so happy for you girls :)

Yes, I may be a little jealous that I'm not graduating with them but hey, soon enough. In between studying physics and studying more physics, I've been going for runs, being crazy with Ky, and editing a lot of photos. I know I should be studying more but I just don't feel like it anymore. With graduation happening today, it just makes me more and more excited to graduate myself. Well, minus the fact that I have no idea what the heck will be going on in my life at that time (cough...grad school or job searching). Either way, I'm excited as heck to graduate. It is literally in 5 months and I'll have a degree. This sounds like it should be motivating me to kick ass on the physics exam (it's not). Alright, I'll just post more of my beautiful edits and get back to studying. My exam is in 24 hours...not soon enough. Oh well, I'm just so happy for my friends that it doesn't even matter if I study or not. Logic.
Old San Juan, PR

Star Lake, WI

Hansmann's Hideaway

Hike up from the bottom of the Grand Canyon

Flagstaff, AZ

Plant Kaleidoscope at Olbrich Botanical Gardens, Madison, WI

View from our room at Rio Mar Resort in San Juan, PR

Gosh....Plants are so freaking Cool!

Saturday, December 15, 2012

Brain....Overload....Oww

I need a break  from studying for finals!! I just went for a run in the rain with Ky :)  It was cold but definitely stress-relieving. I just want to take the final already! Ugh!! Especially when I have exciting things like get ready for Guatemala. We have everything finalized...flight leaves at 6a from Chicago. Alrighty - I guess I don't mind waking up super early.

Physics. Oh my favorite subject. I do not care about the Doppler effect. Yes, it is pretty phenomenal but I really don't care how it works. Please tell me how this is related to plants and maybe then I'll be interested. There are 16 chapters covered on the final...at least the final is only 20% of our grade. I could just not take it and still get a B in the class...funny how that works. 

I wish I could dance...or take more dance classes. It's so fun to learn different dances (African, ballroom, jazz) and find the similarities. I know I could catch on super fast. I was born from a boombox...just got to go find a boombox I guess. That would be a good stress-reliever too. Oh the things I would do instead of studying for physics. Which I should probably start doing. After I shower. Here are some black and white edits I did recently (instead of studying physics). Enjoy my little flowers!  







Thursday, December 13, 2012

Bring It Final

Guess who's all done with classes for the semester? PlantPath Girl :)
Guess who has only one final? PlantPath Girl :)
hi. I'm PlantPath Girl. I hike the Grand Canyon for fun.
Damn, I'm pretty awesome! Now that semester is over for me, I need to start job searching - just in case if I don't get accepted to graduate school. I hate not knowing. Am I in? Do I have to job search? If I get accepted at the job,...AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH! Life. You. Hurt. My. Head. Ugh.
I'm really bored today and there are so many hours left. Well not really; I guess only 10 hours 16 minutes and 32 seconds left. I wish I could sleep that long at night. I'm sick of this 6 hours of bullshit sleep a night - I guess that's what I get for being in college. I can't believe I'm paying over $25k a year for this. But, hey! I'm not at Wal-Mart anymore (and hopefully never again!) so that's got to be a plus. I just want to sleep past 7a once...that would be wonderful. I could probably use my awake hours studying for my final....meaning I'm not but I really should. I'll get to that after this.
Even while on vacation I'm still a mycologist!
In all honesty, I cannot wait to see my dogs! I miss Yukon and Annie to darned much! Mom? Can Conno stay with me in Madison for a bit? Please please please? I'll walk him, play tug-of-war, feed him, water him, and let him sleep! I promise!!! If not, I'm sure Dad will pan Annie off on me. Little Miss Chomps likes to chomp (hence her new name) on absolutely everything. Bad Dog! I just can't wait to get my face licked but them - what a greeting. Oh, how I miss them. So much.
My loves
ONE MORE SEMESTER TO GO! 15 MORE WEEKS! PULL THROUGH MEGAN! YOU GOT IT! MOVE MOVE MOVE! *I'm trying to motivate myself. It's not working so well. Anyways, I'm going to study my favorite subject - Physics :D

23 more days until Guatemala! Definitely wishing I didn't sign up for this! 

Monday, December 10, 2012

The Final Sprint

Instead of thinking about where you are, think about where you want to be. It takes twenty years of hard work to become an overnight success.-Diana Rankin

I'm 20 now...so that means I'll be an overnight success :) Ha, I wish. Anyways...I only have one more paper to write! I cracked the whip on my groupmates to get the other ones done early. Now, it's just my term paper that I need to fix and resubmit. I know all about biofuels in Guatemala (specifically how they negatively affect the small-scale farmers and the Mayans). I can tell you this, it is horrific. It's like their civil war all over again. It makes me wish I had the power to change it and make everything better.

Tonight is my final exam for PP 309 - Disease of Trees and Shrubs. Remember that list I gave you once? Yeah...triple that (easily) because now we have decline disease, viruses, bacteria, phytoplasmas, viroids, and abiotic factors. Oh, how I love my phytopathological diseases. They make my heart go boom boom. So...I should get a really good grade and get an A in the class! If I get an A in both of my plant pathology classes...my GPA within my major courses will be at a 3.6 :)  So..HEY GRAD SCHOOLS I APPLIED TO: Accept me.




Uniqueness Stands Out

Beauty in Broken Glass

Smile. Someone, Somewhere is falling in Love with it.

Carry the Sun in your Heart

Inner Beauty Shines
Next Monday is my physics final...I should probably start studying for that. I thought I hated Organic Chemistry....Physics makes O.Chem seem easy. Oh well, what's a PlantPath Girl to do? Post beautiful pictures! 26 more days :) 

Thursday, December 6, 2012

Namaste!

Before I get into this blog, I really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really want you all to view the following video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pRy88R-4BI

In Biology 375 we are discussing threats to corals. Obviously, human impacts are number one on the disturbance list. Just watch this. You'll see my point. Sometimes I wonder if it's good that I'm taking this class....it gets me so fired up sometimes. I'm just going to take it as a good thing, something I'm truly passionate about with my entire being. Thanks to 9to5naturewallpaper.com for the following four images. Earth is B-E-A-U-TIFUL!


Gorgeous...Right?


Soooo....Yoga :)  If you are having any self-confidence issues, take yoga. The class I'm taking is Hatha yoga where we mainly focus on poses and going at YOUR OWN PACE. A quote from a reading, "Your body is the temple of spirit and the care of which is an important stage of our spiritual growth...develop habit of discipline and ability to concentrate (necessary for meditation)." My instructor, Phyllis, is the calmest and most generous woman I know. One day I have having such bad headaches I thought I was going to black out. She told me it was okay to just sit and watch - her yoga is all about going at your pace and discovering your own limits. It doesn't matter if the girl next to me does the perfect Adho Mukha Svasana (downward facing dog) whereas I can't be my heels to touch. **COUGH! Now I can :)** 

I love having a yoga class. I learned so much about my body and I respect it that much more. We did a flexibility and balance test in the beginning of the semester and today. All of my flexibility and balances improved dramatically. In the beginning of the semester I could balance on one foot (tree pose) with eyes closed for barely 6 seconds. Now I can do it for almost 30. It still wasn't as good as some of the others but heck! I improved so much and I thank my body for that. I have a deeper respect for what my feet muscles do all day long, why strong my neck is, and everything. I never felt so good about myself, both physically and mentally. Don't get me wrong...I am still a competitive runner and I will challenge you to a race. But even if I lose, I still give myself a pat on the back for an awesome run and thank my body for all that it has done. (People at the gym probably think I'm a little loopy in the noggin!) Oops.

Since it's close to the end of the semester, I need all the yoga, relaxation, meditation, and breathing exercises I can get. I'll post some photos that calm the mind and help you unwind after a stressful day. If you feel anything like I do on days like yesterday (way too many projects due!!) you'll need about a million of these pictures. 

Curved lines are welcoming to positive Qi (energy). Zen stones and circles that are curved will welcome good Qi to your home while discouraging negative Qi. The Qi in the environment flows within the landscape and us. Our Qi does the same.

This reminds me of ocean waves gently stretching across the sand.

Nature is the key to relaxation. We are Earth.

Balancing Zen Stones help us bring balance into our daily lives.

Balancing Zen Stones and Plants equal Megan's Love.

Let all your negative Qi drip away with the drops in the picture.

Don't push away the bad things in life...Pull the best things in life closer.

Typical scene in a zen garden.
 ALSO...30 MORE DAYS UNTIL GUATEMALA <3

Monday, December 3, 2012

8 More Days...8 More Days

8 more days of class....8 more days...I can do this!

The semester is coming up to a wrap! I never thought it would come. I have 3 more online lectures for Rainforests and 5 for Landscape Architecture. I have 2 more classes of both of the phytopathology courses I'm in, 4 more physics lectures, 4 more times of yoga at the butt-crack of dawn, and only 2 more physics labs! That reminds me...I want to see if my physics TA, Doruk, will be a TA for next semester physics. I'm going to go off on a tangent about physics. Bear with me. If you were in my shoes...you would too. I know it.

https://www.facebook.com/earthfacts?ref=ts&fref=ts  (this is my new obsession). The pictures are stunning. If it was possible to lose your breath, these pictures would take your breath away. I promise. Here's a few sample pictures!
Dalhellu, Faroe Islands, Denmark, Earth
Lapland, Finland, Earth
Gosau, Austria, Earth

So Physics. All 5 of my advisers asked me how physics 103 was going and I said, "Decent...I'm above the average." That surprised them because apparently physics 103 is the worst-taught class on campus. Damn, were they right! Basically, I have to read 50 pages a week for 90 minutes of lecture a week. And when they lecture, they basically reread the book to us. No examples of how to perform the calculations or explanations of why we use this modulus instead of the other guy's. The best part --> every time the professors try to do an experiment it never works. At least I get a laugh out of that instead of falling asleep. ANYWAYS...Doruk leads the discussions and lab sections. HE ACTUALLY EXPLAINS THINGS! Whoa, I know, it's a new concept that nobody has ever heard of before! I almost fell out of my chair from shock. Haha, just kidding. Doruk explains everything so well that even us non-physics majors can understand what we are supposed to be learning. Out of all the TA's I've ever had, he is by far the best. He will literally sit down next to you and help you work out the problem when you don't have any clue. Or he will go through it and show you where you went wrong and explain why it is wrong. Then he will show you how to do it right and explain why this is the correct way of doing it. If there was a recognition or reward for being the best TA ever...he would definitely get it. Basically...all of the students in my section are begging him to be a TA next semester so we can continue to pass the class. Otherwise we are going to hunt him down (we know where his office is).
Zhangjiajie National Park - China
Killaloe, Clare, Ireland, Earth
Thankfully this semester is almost over. I finished one group project. Please don't ask how many more I have to do. I may burst into tears at any second when I have to tell you how much I have left to do. Oh oh oh! I also finished my disease diagnostic reports - there were 20 of them. Lena (my roomie from freshman year) and I went for a hike in Blue Mounds. It is absolutely gorgeous there...you have to go! When we were there, I found 5 diseases that I needed for my collection. (see the relevance of telling you about my hike with Lena?) I found a conk and big as my head and we all know my head is big. BECAUSE IT IS FULL OF KNOWLEDGE DUH! Ha - bet you didn't see that one coming. Wow, I'm a funny one today. Also, I'm really bored and feel like writing a blog. It feels like I'm writing my life story to a computer. Actually, it feels like I'm talking to myself a lot. That's good so I don't talk to myself aloud. The roommates may get freaked out by that. I'm getting hungry so I'm going to make lunch. That's what people do when they're hungry right?
Atitlan, Guatemala, Earth
32 more days until Guatemala :D