Not a rhetorical question...

This is the orchard-to-be in Alto de los Mores and some of Margie's students. Observe my red bandana. It has been part of my life for 14 years and I do my best work when I wear it. I pulled it out of retirement for my Peru trip. I think if I bring it with me to South Africa I will find the perfect adventure.

When I conspire about what I will do with my life, I try to think of the last job I had where I was really happy and proud of myself. If I find a job with similar characteristics I think I can be be very happy. So the answer is easily, cooking in a treeplanting camp in university. Treeplanting is considered an extremely difficult job and anyone who has spent a season in Kappuskasing will agree. I planted for 3 years and then became a cook. Anyone who planted will also tell you that anything other than planting is a huge reward -earned with blood.

My ideal job will include:

1. Being dirty
2. Tents
3. Community
4. Physical demands
5. Infrastructure challenges

So this there a way to be a dirty information scientist?

corner-piece

Rob Brezsney from freewillastrology.com had this to say to me last month...

"To create a pearl, an oyster needs an aggravating parasite inside its shell. It builds layers of calcium carbonate around the invader, gradually fabricating the treasure. How long does it take from the initial provocation to the finished product? Five years for a pearl of average size, and as many as ten years for a big one. I hope that puts into perspective the tenacious work you're doing on your own master project, Libra. It may seem sometimes as if you've been striving to transform your irritant for an eternity, but you're actually right on schedule."

Pearls are a little extravagant for this 'shwa girl; I see the life I have plan for myself as a little puzzle and I got a sweet corner-piece on Monday. I am going to South Africa this summer to work as an intern at the Nelson Mandela Foundation. I thought I was going to need my inhaler when I read the email. I have to work really hard at concentrating on the rest of my semester. I goal is to budget an hour or two every day to planning and the rest is school and work. My dearest Sarah who has 2 very small boys and a full-time job said - "I don't think I do either particularly well". I found that very reassuring. I suppose I'm going to have archive my Martha Stewart Living for good - put them in a box and seal them with duct tape. That chapter is on hold for now.