Sunday, May 30, 2010

Talking 'Bout My Generation

I take great offense to articles such as this one, explaining how narcissistic and self-involved we, the Gen Yers, are.  Though we've all met people who fit the bill, I believe what little blanket truth this stereotype has stems from how our older generations have used their valuable resources and what we see as necessary to protecting our own future.

It's true, we are competitive and we do plan on rocking the working world right out of college.  We have energy, enthusiasm, and most importantly a vision for how to fix the pieces of our society that aren't working.  We enter our first jobs out of college with that mindset, but get stopped in our tracks.  No one believes in us, we stop hearing the phrase "you can be whatever you want to!" and worst of all, we discover that organizations are sometimes so stuck in their ways that the good ideas we do bring forth, along with the energy it takes to bring them to fruition, are trampled like a lion caught in a wildebeest stampede.

Older generations laugh at us and tell us we need to put in the time and gain experience before we can make an impact, but we realize that all that does is take a person's best, most energetic, most passionate years and suppress them.  It's harder to get excited about a good idea when you have three kids to feed and obligations that ensure you can't put in the overtime it takes to get things done.  We value our relationships and we don't want to end up regretting that we didn't spend enough time with our families.  Therefore, we want to get the ball rolling early because we know that a rolling ball is easier to keep moving than a stationary one is to start. 

I've seen more people from my generation quit secure, high-paying, but unfulfilling jobs to pursue careers they love making half as much money as they did before.  Based on articles like the one above, you would assume they'd be self-fulling careers with little benefit to society.  The truth is, they're not.  They're quitting for non-profits they believe in, the political arena, the army, and taking time off to join the Peace Corps.  I have seen more people in my generation pull themselves out from the corporate rock under which they were crushed, shedding the security, and taking a chance on making society better for all of us.

Despite those people, I'm admitting that our generation is a little self-centered, but you need to understand the reasons why.

We're worried about the future we'll one day soon be in charge of - one in which we have no social security, rising health care costs, and worst of all no natural resources and a dirty planet because the generations ahead of us cling to poor decisions.  Afterall, the only money I'll have for retirement is the money I save for myself.  We have no pensions and our social security buckets are drained.  No one in this country seems to want to pay a little extra so their neighbor can have a life-saving triple bypass surgery.  So how come so many college students are so enthusiastic about universal health care?  Yes, we have the longest amount of time to benefit from it, but before we do, we have to get the baby boomers through all of the health consequences of their fancy-free lifestyles.  I'm willing to do that for them if they're willing to do that for me.  The planet is a whole other can of worms that I probably shouldn't open right now. 

These are the issues our generation has to deal with, so please excuse me when I take offense to articles like the one above.  I don't see our generation as the one that has problems with narcissism and greed.  I see the older generations already hogging that space and all we want to do is move around their fortified blockade and solve these problems quickly - for all of us - so that our kids won't have to be as self-centered as we need to be to get anything done.

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

The Real Kansas

When you think of Kansas, do you think of wheat fields as far as the eye can see and tornadoes?  Where we're at in Central Kansas, aside from the pockets of civilization and amazing wetlands, that's exactly what you get.  I'm not here to dis-spell any myths or stereotypes because they are all true.

Over the past two weeks, I believe we've averaged about one amazing thunderstorm per day.  No tornadoes yet, but when the wind is howling and rain pelting through the improperly installed living room window, you may as well be in the middle of a tornado.  We made the mistake of setting up our weather radio one night and didn't make it three hours before it woke us up.  It is now on silent mode.

Me, guest-starring on Storm Chasers (just kidding, that storm is chasing me)!

I don't think they grow anything besides wheat here, but one thing I didn't realize this that those "Amber waves of grain" are really green in the spring-time.  It doesn't make for boring landscape because I could watch the wind running through a prairie or wheat field for hours.  Now, thanks to our new location, I can.

There are more trees in Kansas today than there were 200 years ago

I was also extremely worried about the rumors I heard about politics and the over-the-top religious zealousness of this state.  In reality, the politics crack me up.  I haven't seen any signs for Democrats yet.  It's not that I don't think there are any, I just think they are in hiding like Anne Frank during World War II.  I also think the Democrats necessarily have to hide under the Republican party banner to get anywhere in this state, so I'm looking forward to examining what each "Republican" says intensely so that I know which Republicans I can vote for with a clear conscience.  The religious thing hasn't been a problem.  Despite the plethora of "Smile: Your Mom Chose Life" billboards, everyone is just super-nice and minds their own business.

There's an incredible sense of community here unlike anywhere else I've ever been.  Let me give you just one example.  These small towns simply cannot support a commercial, for-profit movie theater.  So, the town of Larned came together to build their own.  In just a few years they've raised enough money to pay off their mortgage and buy a new projector capable of running 3-D.  The tickets for adults are $6 and you can get a "small" popcorn and soda for $3 during the show.  All of the workers are volunteers and every cent was raised through the local community.  What's more, their competition seems to be running the for-profit movie theater in Great Bend into the ground.  Not bad!  With this much self-sufficiency, I can see why you might not been too keen on the government taking all your money.  There's a reason Kansas has these stereotypes, but there's also a reason behind the supporting evidence for those stereotypes.  This is a very interesting place.

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Great Migration Rally

 Pelicans at Quivira National Wildlife Refuge

There is a real gem 30 minutes away from our new place in Kansas.  I bet you've never heard of Quivira National Wildlife Refuge, but it turns out that 50% of all birds that migrate across North America pass over or stop right here in our backyard.  In fact, they get over 300 types of birds at the refuge, including the very rare Whooping Cranes who come through in the fall (check out Nathan's blog from last November).

Our first Saturday in Kansas, we participated in The Great Migration Rally, a scenic car tour starting at Quivira and finishing at Cheyenne Bottoms, a state-run rehabilitated marshy recreation area, and the Kansas Wetlands Education Center.  This was an excellent way to get to know the area as there were five stops along the way at scenic overlooks and a local winery.

I don't quite know how to explain how awesome Quivira is, except that I was not into birding before and now I kind of am.  The wetlands are beautiful without the wildlife, but getting to watch Nathan, an experienced birder, check bird after bird off his life list, was thrilling.  I started a list of my own (see below)!  If only the Theodore Roosevelt National Park Christmas Bird count could be this good.

A couple photos of the refuge:

 Great Blue Heron

Great Egret

 Although I can't drink any wine now, my second-favorite stop on the auto tour was the Dozier Winery, a super-cute farm open six days a week for agro-tourism.

Pond at the Winery

Quivira Birding Checklist:
  • Snow Goose
  • Canada Goose
  • Blue-winged Teal
  • Northern Shoveler
  • Green-Winged Teal
  • Ruddy Duck
  • Ring-necked Pheasant
  • Eared Grebe
  • American White Pelican
  • Double-crested Cormorant
  • Great Blue Heron
  • Great Egret
  • Osprey
  • American Coot
  • Killdeer
  • Black-necked Stilt - Really cool-looking birds
  • American Avocet - We got to see a crazy mating dance
  • Wilson's Phalarope - These little guys swim in circles by the hundreds, trying to dredge up food from the bottom
  • Red-headed Woodpecker
  • Western Kingbird
  • Eastern Kingbird
  • Cliff Swallow
  • Barn Swallow
  • European Starling
  • Blue Grosbeak
  • Read-winged Blackbird
  • Yellow-headed Blackbird
  • Baltimore Oriole

Monday, May 10, 2010

Fort Larned National Historic Site

Fort Larned: This is why we're here, the very reason we are enduring a half-finished house, selling our real house at a slight loss, and cutting all ties with big cities.  We visited the site on Thursday and, although it's no Glacier National Park, it's interesting and for those willing to trudge this far out of your way to see it, it's free!

This Fort was an important stop on the Santa Fe Trail, one of the first major commercial routes across the United States (and Northern Mexico at the time) during the 1800's.  The National Park Service has restored the major buildings and recreated them to look like they did in their heyday.  The site is small and based completely on history (we're still learning about all of the different groups and events that took place here), although there is a short nature trail you can take along the Pawnee branch of the Arkansas River. 

 Entire Fort - Cemetery View


Privates' sleeping quarters are anything but private (four guys to a bunk).  Dare I speculate on the origins of our country's current "gays in the military" debate?!

 For living history events, one of Nathan's jobs could be to work in the blacksmith shop!  He's hoping for more time with the canons, though.

The equivalent to IBM's Cafe Corner

You'll hear more about Fort Larned soon, I'm sure.  There's a big living history event Memorial Day weekend, if anyone is interested in seeing the Fort at its liveliest!

Saturday, May 8, 2010

TIK - This Is Kansas

TIA is a common expression in Africa, used when something goes really unexpectedly wrong - beyond what you might expect in the Western world.  For example, the lights on the runway at Kilimanjaro International Airport aren't lit up and you have to turn back to Nairobi, you find out the road from Dodoma to Arusha is all dirt and your driver finds it important to back-up for a better view of the Mozambique Spitting Cobra 10 feet away from the car and your open windows, or the fact that hot water is unavailable because the rainstorm put out the fire heating it.  This. Is. Africa.

Well, I found myself adapting the phrase for Kansas as Nathan and I moved here on Wednesday.  The ride took us 14 hours and was actually a beautiful ride.  Kansas is not entirely flat and wheat-filled.  It's especially gorgeous this time of year when everything is green and migrating birds are abundant.

Everything was going well until we got close to Larned, our new home.


We found out while driving to Larned with the 24-foot truck filled with everything we own that the house we're renting was not ready yet.  The owners were trying to get some new carpet laid (the company brought the wrong carpet the day before) and so they'd be working on it Wednesday night.  TIK.  That's fine.  We figured we could grab a room at the local Best Western and stop by Thursday.  Not a big deal as there should be plenty of room at the inn because who would be staying in a hotel in Larned?!

EVERYONE, apparently.  Due to a giant farm equipment show, all the rooms in Larned, Great Bend, and even two hours away in Hays were completely booked.  TIK.  We had to stay at the house that night, and luckily we were able to get in.

I expected the house to be a little out of order, but what I did NOT expect was to walk into a full-on construction site.  The carpet was laid, but there was no refrigerator, the stove wasn't hooked up, dust covered almost everything, the electrical sockets weren't covered, there were no baseboards, the floor covering was half-done in the sun room, and the list could go on.  TIK - now I'm getting worried and making a mental note never to let Nathan line-up housing ever again.

First room we ever saw in the new house.
Kitchen: A day later we at least had a fridge!  That's the stove still in the foreground.

I forgot to mention that the owners still have a bunch of stuff in the house.

My favorite feature: the second bathroom is really a toilet in the corner of a giant storage room with no doorlock.  Yeah, Nathan and I will be able to share the upstairs bathroom just fine.

Let's make a long story short and just say our new landlords, who are actually Nathan's new co-workers, were able to get the place cleaned up pretty fast.  It cleans up really nice (more pictures to come when we get the boxes out of here.)  They had done the best they could to get the house ready before we got there, but a complete renovation of a very old house takes a long time.  We're living without baseboards, but at least we've got a working kitchen (except for the garbage disposal leakage issue - TIK).  We're getting a good deal, so I guess I should have been prepared to help with a little construction work.

Other things haven't gone exactly right.  We've learned that auctions are a big deal out here and when we tried to drop off our U-Haul on Friday, we were met with a closed shop and this sign.


TIK

I am really liking the town, aside from the rocky start.  The people here are amazingly friendly.  Nathan pointed out there's a difference between the Kansans and North Dakotans in that in North Dakota, if people don't know who you are, they're usually too embarrassed to ask (Medora IS a smaller town by about 4500 people - so maybe they really think they should know you).  In Kansas, they just come right up and ask who you are, so you meet new people every time you leave the house.  The city is really cute, and has a lot of amenities (nice tennis courts one block away!), which makes it easy to skip extra trips up to the much larger city of Great Bend (30 minutes away).  I'm still skeptical, but there are a lot of things I like about this place.  I guess my time in Africa taught me how to better roll with the punches and above all, to ignore the giant spiders on the walls.