I climbed a knob

Wow, I felt really outta the loop, seeing as it has been a week since I last checked the blog. My computer is fuxored (what's new?) so the availability has diminished. I'm at school right now and figured I'd reward myself after my quiz on silicate mineral identification (nerd=me), and check in to see what kind of action was happening here.

I really haven't been up to to much besides reading about Gothic churches and its precursors and trying to remember the chemical formulas for such pretty rocks as quartz, chabazite, and labradorite (named after, you guessed it, Labrador!) . Also, I've been pondering whether peacocks are domesticated and where their native habitat would be, as well as why the fighting styles of men and women differ - as in men throw punches while women claw, bite and pull hair. I will be doing some research after I finish this post, but as you can see, school has been my main activity lately.

An exception to that is I went for a hike yesterday with my friend John and we climbed up and down a knob. For those of you who do not know, a knob is a term for a hill and knobs are a series of hills. Honestly, I don't know if it's just a southern Indiana thing or what, but down here there are knobs. (Some knobs are better than others, as in that pictured at right.) Anyway, it was nice to be outside, since I haven't been very much at all since I stopped working. Sad and pathetic, I know. And you can tell a difference in my gut because of it, or at least I can. So, even though it's getting nippley outside, I have to be persistent and keep my level of activity up, especially with the holidays coming.

Speaking of holidays, I'm also signed up to ring bells with my parents this week (for the Salvation Army). Man, I haven't volunteered since, like, high school and it feels really good. Even though I could absolutely use some money myself, I'm spending my time helping someone else raise money. But that's what the season's for, no?

Well, that's about all I have for now. I'll end with the requisite "I miss you guys and wish this was in person instead of online," but don't think for a moment that it is not genuinely felt.