Split Pea Soup = Green + Delicious

Split Pea Soup may be about the grossest looking food EVER, but MAN, is it yummy. I've been eating a lot of soup lately, which means it's getting cold in Ohio. Also, my Uggs had their inaugural wearing Tuesday night, which means 1. it's winter 2. it's almost Halloween. I don't care how ugly they are, they keep my feet warm and I don't have to wear socks (less laundry... yay!) Socks are the limiting factor in my wardrobe, so the longer I can hold off wearing socks, the better. I should probably just buy more. That's going on the wish list... right after a new pair of Uggs.

In other news... Halloween is soon! Halloween is my absolute favorite holiday... candy + costumes + candy = PERFECT. (Running a close second is Thanksgiving, which is also very soon!) I have the best costume ever this year... I'll post pictures on Saturday =]

Another favorite fall activity of mine occurred last weekend... I went down to Hocking Hills with the fam. We took a picnic (bread and brownies - the best lunch) and went hiking. It was so nice! We're going apple picking this weekend, which I am SUPER looking forward to. I still have to plan out my strategy for the inevitable Apple War with Brother.

Shout out to Brother and his soccer team! They're ranked #2 in the state! Great work guys =]

The Network

Dad always told me that it's not what you know, it's who you know.  I always blew that off... I remember thinking to myself "pssh, that's not true.  People can automatically tell how awesome I am as soon as they meet me.  Or, at the very least, I look good on paper"  Very self-centered, I know, but I'm working on that this year.

I am just now realizing how important networking is.  The more people you know, the better.  For example, I have just recently assumed the post of Media Liason for the Ohio State Solar Decathlon Team, which I thought was going to be pretty simple... I thought I'd just contact the Lantern and see if they'd write a few articles about us, and maybe move on to the Dispatch when we got closer to the competition.  Ok, well... it started out that way.  I have a commitment from the Lantern for ongoing articles about SolarDec, but then I started talking about what I was doing at work.  (I work in Arts Administration and Communications, for those of you that don't know)  That day, I came home with a list of 50+ contacts of people that are just itching to write about Solar Decathlon!  I couldn't believe my good luck.  And neither could my team... luckily it was more than enough to impress them and actually get them to take me seriously.  I have stories started with the Plain Dealer, Dayton Daily News, the Cincinnati Enquirer, the Dispatch, and almost every Engineering publication coming out of Cleveland (thanks to my AWESOME cousin!)

Anyways... I learned my lesson, Daddy... it's not what you know, it's who you know.

Quick plug for Solar Decathlon!  Our groundbreaking ceremony is coming soon (Autumn Quarter... date TBA)  We have a lot of Outreach events planned for this year, so keep your eyes out!  solardecathlon.osu.edu, or look us up on Facebook!

p.s. I FINALLY got new headphones!  Yay!  (Still haven't gotten paid... but Brother coughed up his)

For I too am a steward, did you not know?

Today was the Green Building Expo in Columbus.  I went, and it was a lot of fun!  I went to see a speaker from the Bio-Mimicry Guild in the morning, and she talked about how our buildings need to be emulating nature if we want to achieve any sort of long-term sustainability.  She gave some examples of other life forms that have survived on the earth for 3 billion years without using electricity or fossil fuels for energy.

The first talk seemed a bit far-fetched for me... I think the Bio-Mimicry Guild works on an extreme end of the spectrum, while regular LEED projects (even LEED Platinum) work more in the middle in terms of energy efficiency.

Anyway, I know not all of you have the same passion for sustainability that I do, so I won't bore you with any more details.

In other news, Brother signed on for another season with the Vanguard Nationals Team, which we are all VERY excited about.  AND.... FINALLY, he has started filling out college applications!  Yayyyy!  I'm so proud of him =]

Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist comes out tomorrow!