Tomorrow is Daylight Savings Time, something I've been looking forward to since it started getting dark at 4:30 in December. Things are beautiful in Seattle right now... the daffodils and crocus started coming out last week and are now in full bloom, and I had no idea how many of the trees in Seattle are flowering. I've been so surprised by the weather... Since February, we've seen more sunny days than not!

My entire concept of good weather is changing... Now, if it's 50 degrees and sunny, I want to run outside and play. I wouldn't have gotten out of bed for weather like that in Alabama or Mississippi.

So, I've started this new job at the National Wildlife Federation. Mostly I'm just researching and compiling information about climate policy, to be used this summer in preparing a climate policy approach for the Western Climate Initiative (a proposed cap-and-trade based system in which many western states and areas of canada and mexico will participate. ) I'm inundated with climate policy and it seems like every other day I switch from thinking we can make a difference and halt the worst effects of climate change to thinking we're screwed.

Otherwise, my job is still not very concrete in a lot of ways. I just show up and they tell me what needs to be done. Some days, that's writing a letter to the editor of the Seattle P-I. Other days, I'm editing letters and proposals, or researching, or meeting with legislators.

But I'll have a real job next quarter, a research assistantship within the College of Forest Resources (and the US Forest Service) that relieves me of my out-of-state financial commitment for the semester, which is a huge relief. I'm going to try and hold on to my NWF position while working 20 hours/week for my RA, which will be about 30 hrs/week plus tutoring with Kaplan and in addition to school. But, I'm taking the smallest class load I can (something I've NEVER done.... I think overloading on classes is something more people should exploit!) and hope to find a way through the week.

Abbey dog has learned some new tricks (and if you search channel: abbeymonster on youtube, you can see a vid).... she can now do sit, up (beg), stand, dance, down, shake, and has just learned roll over. We started working on "speak" today. Unfortunately, she doesn't know "no" or "get down".

Mark and I are going to California for spring break! It should be a reasonably priced trip (though gas may be prohibitive!). We'll go down to the bay area to see friends, and then San Luis Obispo for beaching and wining. Abbey dog is coming with us!

I am so tired of elections. I was very intensely interested in it all through February (at least until our caucuses)... and now I'm to the point that I'm sick of listening to everyone, even my favorite candidate. I will say one thing, if John McCain wins, I am leaving the country as soon as possible (after grad school?) I can't be an American if it means supporting war and torture, abandoning our poor and our children, and not taking responsibility for the environmental damages it causes. It's not that I think that all Republicans believe that these things are okay (though some of them must have had to in order to keep Bush in for another term), it's that the Republicans who are currently in office (or will be if McCain is elected) are MONSTERS who have their own financial interests at stake and not the well-being of the country. I actually liked John McCain up until the primary season (even though he's a racist) because he stood for environmental protection (to a point) and had real military experience. But he's thrown his old ideals out the window to kowtow to the big names in the party, and now promises to be nothing more than another Bush. I won't stick around for it.

Anyway, that's the long and short of my life. The month of February flew by, and I can't believe it's almost spring break!!! The 10 week quarter system is much too short, though I'm glad for the break.