College Undergrad:Complete

Wow, so I might have mentioned that I would have a few moments this last semester every so often to tell a story or relay an important revelation of my undergraduate career at the University of Michigan. When I say "I am not sure at all what I want to be doing in the future" that is a complete lie. To sum up the future:

-I leave tomorrow to CT for the holidays (Anticipate some catch up blogging).

-Return to Ann Arbor with my lovely girlfriend Maria.

-"Relax" similar to how it went this summer, which means not at all.

-Gig with my bossa band.

-Officiate intramural sports at Michigan

-Write and publish a manuscript on the research data I helped compile last year.

-Do related experimental procedures.

-See my Grandee & Grandpa this February (and go to Disney World and Islands of Adventure)

-Backpack across Europe.

-Return to CT for July 4th, D.R.A.M. and the Ancient Mariners 50th Anniversary Muster

-In the fall, hopefully get paid to continue my education to acquire a Ph.D. in ecological theory and related scientific research.

-Through my research spend summers in beautiful places, etc.

I think I have said enough for now. I am so excited...I am getting winded having not gone blogging in so long.

Here is a preview of some of the exciting things I will tell you about from this fall. The embedded video is the Michigan Marching Band's halftime show, aired on NBC. I get great airtime during the Backstreet Boys number. And just after during 98Degrees they show a shot of my hands. That cross at the end is a visual. The drumline held them above our heads and were the puppeteers of the band while they posed as manikins. Sweet!

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Blackout Warning / Fun Facts

So this is the big one. Tomorrow I have my first exam (3.5 hours to answer three questions). Then after that I am off to the south island for three weeks. two and a half weeks of program and four days off in Nelson Lakes. The south island is where Lord of the Rings was filmed my friends. I am sure I will have many stories to tell and wonderful pictures to share upon my return. Until then I will leave you with a few fun facts I have stumbled across in my journeys...

- There are only 4 million people in the entire country.
- They drive right handed on the left side of the road, but the gears are oriented the same.
- State highways slow down to pass through a town. It's like an extended exit through main street.
- Some high schools (they call colleges) have four rugby teams.
- The radio plays everything from home. Bummer.
- Most of the water comes from rain tanks.
- One-third of inhabitants fish from the ocean.
- No hunting or fishing liscences are needed. Most of the animals that are hunted are pests (sounds familiar). You can kill all the Australian possum you'd like.
- They call then bum bags because fanny is a bad word.
- They round to the nearest tenth of a dollar because there is no coin lower than 10 cents.
- You get two votes for Parliament; one for your district representative and one for the party.
- You can go barefoot into stores.
- Toilets have two flushing buttons a half and full flush. It just makes so much sense.
- The water does run down the sink the other way, clockwise!

Hope those were fun. See you in a few weeks.

Under the hum of a jet engine

It’s no wonder that on a day where emotion runs freely, although greatly divided between utter joy from wishes of good fortune and incessant pain at the notion of leaving the comforts of home or the impending loss of good friends, I sit on the plane to LA and think of no other activity than documenting my thoughts. This reflection is of a nature of appreciation. More than a handful of people visited my party in 10 degree weather amid snow or called me the next day to wish me a safe and enlightening journey. Here, I will make it known I have no other intentions than doing just that. There is no doubt in my mind I am a few short hours away from an experience that will change my life. Know that memories and lesson learned in Guilford, CT and Ann Arbor, MI and the experiences shared with all of you who care enough to read my blog define who I am. I may return a different person, but it will be from a reevaluation of those essences rekindled with a new suite of knowledge and occurrences. I love you ALL in every way fitting to our individual relationships. I miss you already, but as it will seem all too common in the near future I am going to sequester those pangs to a place in my heart that remain yours forever, even in light of the surreal excitement I allow to engulf my senses. Find peace within, with your memories and ambitions. I am surely there somewhere. (I should hope that is the case, at least!?)

Until that day comes when I shall see your face again. ~Z

Look for the low down on campus and an EcoQuest overview comming shortly...I passed my swim test today. Yay!

Missed moments of a traveler

So for this brief memorial to moments past and still to be, let us assume that I am already a traveler, one who has left the boundaries of his childhood home to seek a life away from his kin. Please consider this only in a geographical sense and not one that removes respect and devotion from my family. Memories of your wisdom and kindness flash through my conscience, daily.

This is in regards to the moments that I will not be apart of because of my distance from where I grew up. I missed the trip to Broadway to see "Wicked" and watching Mom suit up for volleyball. Dad plays cards now, but that is not really what this is about.

Except for reminders from my mother that I had more important business in Michigan, I would have had no regrets packing and heading home to care for my father. And that one time, I was lucky to be home for a few days when Babci had her first fall.

I will probably be gone when Vanessa and Freddie have their first child or when Nicole and Damon finally save up enough.

But at this moment I am not there to pay my respects to my first ancient drum instructor and some day Mariner brother. Sean Egan, I send all of my thoughts to you while I am traveling on the day of your memorial, back home this time, but a day late. This is my thanks to you, a few brief but potent words that were inspired when I read the news.

What moment will I be gone for next?

Getting through life without an MIP

For those of you unaware of the legal slang, getting mipped means you got caught holding alcohol while under-aged, a minor-in-possession. This gets you a fine and a trip to an alcohol and drug awareness program with a $300 price tag. Avoiding being one of the 50 average students that acquire this stamp weekly in Ann Arbor, means more than just an accomplishment of running from the cops at 2a in the morning (For anyone wondering, I never ran. Walking swiftly in the opposite direction sufficed.) Beyond the authority of the A2 police, and perhaps transcending all authority in general, this accomplishment serves as testimony to life in moderation.

Someone I know, who will not be named outright, has regularly said, "It is only cheating if you get caught." In my opinion, if you brand something as cheating according to your own moral standards, then by principle, you should not be doing it. However, the moral gray area that encompasses this nation is nothing short of expansive. In other words, don't cheat, but live life to the fullest just beyond those standards you hold for yourself.

Clearly, abstaining from drinking was not my method of averting a MIP. As in many situations in life, rules are in place to serve a purpose and limit anarchy. Besides an exceptional power hungry authority, very few people are out to get you. It has been my experience (because I have so much of it now that I'm 21) that you will only get in trouble if you do something stupid and make someone do their job.

A special someone reminds me every time I leave his company, "Be smart and heads up stuff." This is not derived from definitions of IQ or athletic ability, but simply living live with common sense and practicing rebellion in moderation.

Snareline Spotlight

That was the only source of light for this evening's snare line sectional, a single spotlight from the ceiling of the main hall at Revelli. It was an impromptu gathering of 6 of 8 members that transpired from 11-12:30p. Why? because we need the practice for the big OSU weekend...not to mention the immense dedication to the quality of performance expected my M Drumline. Loose and laid back, more so than any day rehearsal, more was accomplished than 5 hours could get done on the sidewalk. We even had a moment to recognize it was 12 12:12...and "we played that song after our team got a first down in high school." Why is that? I don't know, but perhaps more of these late night jaunts by the snare line should be more frequent. But, of course, none of this will matter if we don't retain the touch for tomorrow.

Dusting the Trail

Hello...

to every one interested in my blog. I have very little experience with blogging, but in the days following my acceptance into the EcoQuest program I figure no time is better than now to begin. I see this blog as being an integral part in communicating with friends and family during my foray into New Zealand. You are welcome to respond thoughtfully to my adventures or simply let me know that you are an intent reader.


I regret that in more ways than one that this shadow may be all you see of me after I begin classes on January 30th, 2008; after all, I will also double as the photographer, behind the lens, for this blog. But now, I am always here to provide a wave and a friendly gesture. I know in many ways the pictures that I take will only fuel jealousy towards the great opportunity I have been granted, but please do your best to enjoy the sights, and perhaps sounds, that I provide you with as a portal to the wonderful experience I am presumably enjoying.


This blog may also very well show more insight and personal reflection than I have ever publically provided in the past. I hope this will allow you to maintain an image of me that is compatable with the person I become while in New Zealand. No doubt, with immersion into a new country, culture, and career-based excursions I will become a new me. I do not intend on changing entirely, but merely growing in a way that will reflect my most recent experiences.


I will use this tree to make some generalizations within the blog. This picture was taken by Sean Kelley on the way back home from Hidden Acres Campground on George Palmer Rd. this summer. It so fully caught my attention I had to stop the car, in the middle of the road, and capture the image. The road, following the left side of the fence, has enabled the passage of vehicles that have destroyed that half of the tree. I shouldn't have to give any further explanation why this is so symbolic to the topic of global climate change and how much it hurt to be driving a car at that point, ask if you must. The right side of the fence has a diametrically different character. The leaves are green and plush, over hanging a juvenile corn field. We can argue about whether or not the field is sustainable, but instead we will just see it for its contrasting value to the road. I anticipate jumping the fence from the USA to New Zealand, a country claiming world dominance over sustainability policy and practice. But I'm sure at some point during my stay I will find myself curled up on the paved side of that fence looking for a small avian friend to remind me of home.

I hope I have not bored you with my first post. I intend to write, perhaps infrequently, about a few of my mini-journeys while still here, dare I say it, at home in Michigan. Stay tuned.

For now, I will see you soon, before I get my boots dirty.
Z