#SustainableRoots and the changes they cause

#TalkNerdyToMeLover's @JenSquard

Back in 2004 I got an opportunity to travel to Ecuador with a group of people from my college to do some biological learnings and explorings.  I wanted to be a field biologist or researcher of some sort, so I jumped right on it.  I talked a friend of mine, Toni, into going with me, and we started about the incredibly hard job of raising money for ourselves.  It was going to be way expensive, because instead of staying for 17 days like everyone else, we decided to stay for the entire summer.  We each thought about waiting until the following summer instead of killing ourselves during the school year to raise the money, but we decided that if we waited, that money would disappear and it would never happen.  We worked crazy hard, begged, sold our stuff, and finally got the money we needed.  We did it as a team and kept each other motivated. 

Once we finally got there, it was all soooooo worth it!  The entire country is magical.  We started in the lowland jungles, took a crazy boat ride on a huge river, saw monkeys swinging from the trees, swung from vines ourself, and made ourselves sick from drinking too much delicious fruit juice.  From there we went back to the big city of Quito and did some salsa dancing and took in the culture.  We headed up into the Andes and went through a blizzard, then landed in a cloud forest.  This is a forest that is so high up on the mountain that it literally is sitting in the clouds.  From there we headed to my favorite place, Otavalo - a giant mountain market town.  The people there are indigenous and gorgeous.  And you can buy ANYTHING - some of the most beautiful art I have ever seen is right there on the street for a few bucks. We spent the remainder of the summer doing research on caterpillars and parasitoids in Cosanga, a tiny little town in the Andes (actually we were way up the hill at YanaYacu, but closest to Cosanga).  We would head down into town whenever we needed a good meal, and would then eat so much that we couldn't walk home (I'm sure the giant Pilsners didn't help). 

I found the people of Ecuador to be absolutely fascinating.  They were kind and intelligent, and in much need of a change.  There is political turmoil there off and on, and deforestation and the destruction of flora and fauna for profit is a major problem.  Tourists will buy framed sets of pinned butterflies, so they will catch and kill tons of them, which means bye bye butterfly species forever.  Its devastating to watch, but without funding and education, nothing will ever change.

I cried and cried when I left.  I went back the next year, but just as a vacation.  I haven't been back in the last five years, and I still cry everytime I think about it.  I miss it so very much, and am looking forward to the day that I can relocate my entire family there.  The magic of a place like Ecuador sinks into your soul and never lets go. 

Getting back on track, though, Toni has been able to go back every year since we left.  Not long ago she changed her perspective from that of a biologist to that of a anthropologist's.  She started her own non-profit organization and has headed down there again to teach English (which is the only way these kids can get ahead in life), build gardens, and teach the community about reforestations and sustainable agriculture.  The goal is that make them a self-sustaining group of people, so that cutting down trees for pasture is no longer a huge necessity.  She is doing amazing work, and raised a nice chunk of money before she left by having concerts, raffles and art auctions (my donated prints even sold!). 

I am so incredibly proud of her and the work she is doing.  I wish I could be there with her, but I know that if I hadn't gone with her the first time, it may not have ever happened.  It's the small things, I suppose.  Check otu her blog, her facebook page, and website.  It would not only mean a lot to me, but to the beautiful people of Ecuador. 

http://sustainablemobile.tumblr.com/

Here they are on Facebook

www.sustainable-roots.org

Twitter.com/rootsmobile

#HappyBirthday Miss @JenFriel!

#TalkNerdyToMeLover's @JenSquard

Happy happy birthday pretty ladyface!

Wish I could be there for your party!

And I sure hope you get your kitty choked, if you know what I'm saying.  Get it?  Kitty?  Choked?  Kitty?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY FRIEND! 

We all love your stinkin guts.

Send her a lovenote of your own!  Twitter.com/JenFriel   or    Facebook.com/JenFriel

#KnowledgeBomb - Giraffes

#TalkNerdyToMeLover's @JenSquard

The majestic giraffe - who doesn't love these guys?  Seriously, tell me who and I'll have a talk with them.  They are frickin awesome, and not only gorgeous, but physiologically amazing.

While popular myth says that giraffes have a ton of vertebrae, they have only have seven cervical vertebrae - exactly the same amount that we have.  Their long ass neck certainly poses dangers for them, like bending down to drink, but it is also their biggest defense.  They stay standing for everything, including sleep and birth.  They are thought to only sleep less than an hour a day, in little tiny naps throughout the night.  They rest from time to time, but for full blown sleeping, they rest their neck on their hindquarter and do it as little as possible.

Every giraffe has a unique set of spots, and they can be identified through them, just like fingerprints.  You can also tell their age from their spots - they get darker as they get older.  Hmmm...what else?  Oh yeah, they have horns!  And they're born with them, unlike most mammals.  And these horms are legit horms, not antlers or keratin, they are bone and extend from the skull.  Wanna know my favorite part about giraffes?  Their tongues are black.  Totally rad.

So, about their giant bodies...they are around 16 feet tall and their tongue is over 2 feet long.  They are crazy strong, but super peaceful.  And they can kill an adult lion with a single kick.  The bull giraffes often neck fight by smacking their necks into each other to establish dominance.  It is generally harmless, but pretty terrifying to watch.  They are one of the few "silent" mammals, which just means they don't communicate audibly often, but are capable of it.  They are frickin awesome, and now you know why.

 I would love to hear your thoughts! @JenSquard

#Randombling: @JenSquard

#TalkNerdyToMeLover's @JenSquard

Randombling: A 5 minute long unedited random stream of consciousness produced by a nerd for nerds.

#nowplaying: Greatest Love of All - Whitney Houston

Man, as I was typing that line, the #TalkNerdyToMeLover's part, it really hit me that I am a part of this community.  It feels so great, too!  I have always had a lot of friends and been an active participant in school and stuff, but I would never really consider myself part of many communities.  I've always tended to distance myself a bit, mostly because my dad told me that everything I did and said was stupid.  So even when I had great friends and people thought I was really funny, I was still terrified of saying something stupid.  I was constantly humiliated at home, and I just didn't want that to happen in front of my peers.  I remember hanging out with the popular senior guys when I was a freshman and just not saying anything, even though I knew every song reference they were making, and got every joke.  They must have thought I was retarded, or just hot enough to get away with it.

It feels nice to finally own my awesomeness.  I am awesome in so many ways.  I don't need validation from anyone anymore, and I am finally allowing myself to be part of communities.  I share my thoughts and ideas with fellow photographers, and other moms even ask me for advice.  ME.  I never thought the day would come that people would ask for my advice because they think I'm awesome, and not because I'm their manager or something. 

I try hard at everything I do - I don't think you should do anything if you aren't going to do it right, so I put everything I can give into everything I do.  So it feels so great to finally be recognized as having something to offer.  I'm so proud to be a lifecaster on this site, and thank you all for you input and support.  I really do appreciate it more than I can express, and I feel that it's making me a better person in all aspects of my life.  I'm sure my children thank you as well.  

Okay, off to homeschool some crazy pre-schoolers.  And buh-bye.

I love to chat!  So hit me up on Twitter or Facebook - it'll make my day!

#TipsForDudes: Foreplay

#TalkNerdyToMeLover's @JenSquard

Aaah, sex.  So important.  Should be fun, but unfortunately it isn't always as great in practice as it is in theory.  Why?  Because men and women are wired sooooo differently. 

For most men sex is a sensory adventure - physical, visual, auditory, the whole thing.  Whatever it is that turns a man on (boobs, butt, nakedness in general) will always turn them on.  Something naughty whispered in their ear or sent over text = ready to go. 

Women, not so much.  For us sex is mental.  Show me your wiener all day long, and it's just not going to prime the pump.  I need some brain action first.  That is what foreplay is all about for the ladies (I am speaking in general, of course).  Don't grab my boobs, move south, then expect me to be ready.  Instead, start earlier in the day.  A couple of calls or texts to say you are thinking about your lady.  A token to show you actually are thinking about her, like a drink from her favorite coffee shop.  Stimulating conversation is always a good one - talk about what turns you on, a secret fantasy, something from your sexual bucket list.  Compliments may get you some play with some girls, but in general "you're so sexy" doesn't mean much.  And unless it is in the major heat of the moment, something like "I'm so hard" is likely to be a buzzkill.  Instead try, "You make me feel so alive".  

Seriously, every woman is obviously different, but it is going to start upstairs.  Make my mind race and the body will follow.  Having said that, I am in NO WAY excusing you from physical foreplay.  Nice try, sucka.  Take it slow, but don't draw things out.  Some ladies like to kiss for hours.  I get bored with that after about 4 minutes.  And keep in mind that if play to the point of exhaustion, you will likely be finishing solo.  What I'm trying to say, is foreplay is essential, but don't forget that it is leading to something.  Hopefully.

Have some tips of your own?  Or questions?  I'm here to help!  @JenSquard