In Which My Blog Comes Full Circle A.K.A. "Back to School"

[Thalassa]

My first entry here many a year ago was sick of school. Well fuck hell I was sick of academia and knew I had no future in the public school system, nor did I want to go on to the hell which is grad school, despite my great grades.

I'm taking a certification course in Wildlife and Forestry Conservation at the moment, after I receive my certificate I will be qualified for certain jobs in the environmental protection field, mainly hands on at state and national parks, lodges, the fish and wildlife service, the bureau of land management, water and power, tree nurseries, fish farms (which I won't be doing, I don't even eat farmed fish), and other glittering promises such as land reclamation and environmental impact studies (this one is exciting).

My course load basically lends itself to learning about birds, fish, small mammals, plants and trees, humane trapping of endangered or injured wildlife, learning about predators (i.e. mountain lions), forest preservation, aquaculture (actually I could stay right in Santa Monica and save the beaches apparently if I don't want to move into the redwoods, but now I do), game management, and of course, safety.

This apparently also equips me to be a fisherman or a logger, neither of which I'll be doing, but the course is expanded not only to those who wish to work in environmental protection, but people in industries or farming where they are being encouraged (or forced) to learn environmentally friendly and humane sustainable practices in order to keep their own private businesses thriving in the future.

I'm very excited. I've finally married my love of animals with my love of politics, my joy of being outdoors with my need to do something productive there (besides pick up tourist trash from the beach front), and my need to of course have a real career, because like Meg Ryan said in When Harry Met Sally, "I'll be 40." Harry says, incredulously, "When? In eight years?" and she replies sobbing, but with a perfunctory eye roll and loud emphasis, "SOMEDAY!"

I'm very happy and pleased with myself. I went to Big Sur to find myself and I came back with a new future, which I jumped on stat.

Go me.

Of course I'll be staying in the South Bay area for the time being, but I've opened my mind and experience to actually living among the redwoods, as I encountered a very passionate sensory and spiritual experience being in the redwood forests of Big Sur for five whole days and nights.

I had a deep and disturbing realization that...this is what the world is supposed to be like. This is what the world once was. Just like 80 years ago. And people are so far removed from it in the post-industrial nightmare, that it's scary.

I once thought I wanted to help people - for example, by being a public school teacher. Now I realize I have to play my small part in saving the very existence of humanity by removing myself completely from "working with people" and instead focusing somewhere that's much more pleasing to my senses (and my sensitive nerves)...the great outdoors, and the plants and animals who live there.

And while I'm much too squeamish to work on anyone's kitten or puppy, I know my sensibilities will allow me to be practical and effective while addressing the emergency concerns of wildlife such as hawks, pheasants, wild turkeys, cougars, and seals.

Location, as usual: Born Free.

[video=youtube;1pR6ho_GSZs]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pR6ho_GSZs[/video]

 

[Thalassa]

P.S. After I take this course and start working in the industry, I'll probably have to enroll in a community college up in northern cali to get my Associates in Forestry to get a nice paying, solid, permanent job.

But this is my start. This is my foot in the door.

 

[JAVO]

This is exciting! I've seriously considered doing something like this with forestry/recreation planning.

I had a deep and disturbing realization that...this is what the world is supposed to be like. This is what the world once was. Just like 80 years ago. And people are so far removed from it in the post-industrial nightmare, that it's scary.

Exactly! People don't get the whole picture until they can see this.

 

[Thalassa]

This is exciting! I've seriously considered doing something like this with forestry/recreation planning.


Exactly! People don't get the whole picture until they can see this.

It's true.

I'm enjoying my class and looking at starting an associates program in the spring semester. I think it's too late for me to enroll properly in this coming fall semester with financial aid and housing, because the school I've chosen is in Eureka, California which is way up north in the protected redwood forest. I definitely have to plan financially for the move, even if getting an associates degree from a CCC as a California resident is a relatively cheap and affordable endeavor.

I wish I could start the fall semester, though. Honestly if I won the lottery or someone just gave me a small private loan I think I'd just move up north in August, but I can wait until January, it's not like it's *bad* here...I just also don't see any point in wasting time if I know what I want to do.

I've been talking to people at the school up north already.

 

[chickpea]

haha you're moving to humboldt? just get a job on a weed farm to fund your move.

 

[Thalassa]

haha you're moving to humboldt? just get a job on a weed farm to fund your move.

lol someone recently said something along those lines to me IRL