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May 12, 2012

O Backpack! My Backpack!

Back in 2003, I was an orientation leader for the University of Arkansas. And as part of the gig, we were given free backpacks. We carried them around campus as we gave tours and led sessions and helped out the incoming college students with whatever they needed... It was a free backpack. Nothing special. But it's been with me ever since.


It's been taken around the world and back and has been washed and dried and beaten half to death on countless occasions. But somehow, it is still looking great and doing a fine job! When I started grad school last fall, Leo encouraged me to buy a new fancy one to tote around campus, but I adamantly refused. Why would I replace a bag that was still perfectly usable?! It got me through my bachelors program with flying colors, and I had no doubt it would work just as well this time around.
And I was correct!

However, over the past few months, I've noticed that it's starting to show its age more & more. A small hole has now developed on the bottom, which is steadily growing bigger. And the lining is starting to flake away. I'm not sure if all backpacks lose their linings eventually, but it seems to be a trend among those which have been exposed to African heat. (We'll get to that in a minute.) I'm sure one of these days all of my books & binders will come crashing through the ever-growing hole in the bottom, but for now, it still works just fine.

But that leads me to my second backpack story. A beautiful North Face variety that I inherited from my brother, Tom. It was a little bigger than a school pack, and a little smaller than a full-sized pack for travel, but it made the perfect carry-on. Tom used it for years, and I then took it with me to the Peace Corps.


This was taken in April 2008, right after landing in Johannesburg, South Africa. Check out the cart's upper basket.

It was taken from country to country, in and out of tents and questionable hostels... and by the end of my 2+ year assignment, it had taken about as much as it could handle. The lining was flaking at an alarming rate, and soon anything you put inside would come out covered with pieces of disgusting old backpack guts. But I brought it back to the States with me, and have been holding onto it since.

While I thought for a split second about keeping it for the sake of sentimental value, that idea quickly vanished. First off, what good is a busted backpack- sentimental or not? Second, Tom would hate that! And third, North Face has a lifetime warranty! After a quick phone call to the company, I decided to give it a shot and send it in. Yes, it was about 10 years old and had been "well-used," but why not? Best case scenario: a free new backpack. And worst: a coupon towards my next one! No downside in sight. So I threw my traveling companion in the bathtub (per North Face's request) and got it ready to go!


That was several weeks ago, and the they got back to me within no time. The verdict: definitely not a new one for free (no surprise there), but they did give me 50% off on a replacement! And while I had hoped to put off getting a new one until Santa could bring me one for Christmas, how could I pass up 50% off??

A few days ago, this beautiful new Recon arrived in the mail.


I'm absolutely in love with the green, and even more in love with the fact that I got it for 50% off, got free shipping AND it's a direct descendent of Tom's old pack. I'm sure it will accompany me through the remainder of grad school (and whatever comes after) just fine. But just to make sure, I plan to test it officially in Nicaragua come June 9th.

It has some mighty big shoes to fill... but here's to the next generation!

May 10, 2012

Summertime Fun Time.


Hello readers! It is I, the one who has been off the radar for nearly a month. But I’m back! And here comes a blog… brace yourself.

Three of the past four weeks were spent writing a ridiculously stressful research paper. It was worth 30% of my overall grade, and I was more than a little tense. Both our bank account and my waist line took a hit with all the fast food, but I eventually got it all submitted! And then that fourth week was spent being tortured with my own thoughts that I had surely failed the class. It’s a long irrational story as to why I thought this, but I was constantly thinking of ways I could take it again next year while continuing to work and take the other courses on the docket. BUT! I was put out of my misery on Tuesday morning when the grades went up. I PASSED and will not be taking it again next year! 29% FINISHED with my NP program. Boo-ya! :) I'm out of class for the summer, and plan to enjoy it to the fullest!

Speaking of: I have 10 tomatoes ripening up, with one nearly all the way red! And two little jalapenos have poked through, after an intense battle with some little aphids who thought they owned the place…


Also- I've started a bit of a pet project in the kitchen. A few weeks ago, I learned that you can grow your own green onions right from the roots! No sunlight, very little care... just some water. So I figured I'd give it a shot!

Day 1.

Day 5.

Growing things is such fun!

AND- in exactly one month, I'll be headed to Nicaragua! I finished up my oral Typhoid vaccine just this morning, and am therefore "protected" for the next five years. Just have to pick up my Malaria pills, and I'm good to go!

Free time, veggies and traveling, Oh my! I do believe it's shaping up to be a good summer.