The First Day Of The Rest Of My Life

at 03/20/10 10:41PM
Well after a few years of weighing options, considering courses of actions, and discussing plans…
After several months of frantic application procedures (thank you to ALL of you who helped me in this, you know who you are)…
After nearly a month of “holding my breath”…

I GOT ACCEPTED!


As most of you know I’ve wanted to work with animals ever since I can remember. Many of my jobs and most of my education have focused on working with animals. My career goal has long been that of a Zoo keeper or Aquarist.

Over the years I’ve struggled to align the desire to work with animals and the reality that it is really very hard to get into this profession. There have been times when I’d almost given up on my dream, times when I figured that I should just grow up and get a real job. That’s been a temptation, because it would be far easier to make a lot more money doing “regular” work, than it will be to get ANY job in the professional animal care industry.

When Ashley and I moved to Oregon a few years ago, I decided to take a break from my professional pursuit of animal care, in order to reinforce my educational credentials. I will (hopefully, but likely) graduate from Oregon State University with a Bachelor’s degree in General Agriculture. Most of my class work has been focused in the fisheries and wildlife science side of the agricultural spectrum, and while this background does qualify for most public animal care facility’s requirement of a “four year life-science degree” for all applicants, it would most likely leave me at a disadvantage against better qualified applicants. So over the last few years I started thinking seriously about methods for amending my education with more specific training.

I learned about OCCC’s Aquarium Science Program shortly after I moved out here, but at that time I still needed to finish my bachelor’s degree before I could apply for the one-year certificate offered at this school. So last year, as completion of my degree was in sight, I decided to apply.




As some of you know, I applied for the 2010 – 2011 class year at Oregon Coast Community College’s Aquarium Science Program. Today I got accepted.




As Ashley has already pointed out, this means a LOT of changes and BIG things happening for us over the next few years.

But the ball is rolling, it is all really happening!

I’m…a bit emotional about it.



More to come…
  • slmarti7
    I'm so happy and excited for you both!
    by slmarti7 at 03/20/10 10:45PM
  • niffer
    yahoo!!! :D
    congrats brian!
    by niffer at 03/20/10 10:45PM
  • robynbobm
    I'm excited for you!!!
    by robynbobm at 03/20/10 10:49PM
  • fullofgrace
    i can't wait till you have your own show on animal planet!
    by fullofgrace at 03/21/10 12:02AM
  • nottoscale
    Congrats, Brian! Your bathtub catfish of years ago would be proud if they could know :)
    by nottoscale at 03/21/10 12:19PM
  • thewifeofbud
    This makes me very happy!!!
    by thewifeofbud at 03/21/10 1:52PM
  • redmartineau
    Yeah Nathan, although I suppose that my fish-keeping prowess will have increased slightly from that time!
    by redmartineau at 03/21/10 4:12PM
  • ryan_s
    Awesome Bro!
    by ryan_s at 03/21/10 4:21PM
  • larryandrosalie
    What can I say! Go get 'um Brian!! You the MAN!!!
    by larryandrosalie at 03/21/10 4:43PM
  • beavermom
    Wah-HOOOOOOOOOO!!!!
    by beavermom at 03/21/10 4:55PM
  • kailua
    Congratulations to you on all your hard work!
    by kailua at 03/21/10 5:04PM

Week Four

at 02/22/10 9:21PM
Well it’s week four, “rest and recovery week”.

This does not mean that I won’t be working out, just that I’ll be focusing on aerobics and flexibility, rather than strength training this week.

It’s still a struggle, but I am at a point where I think that this will stick.

“I’m doing the work, I’m not a slacker!!!”


PS.
I had my interview with the entrance panel of the Aquarium Science Program today. I think that it went well, and I am confident that I will be accepted into the program. So that’s good!
  • ryan_s
    Good luck on the Interview! :)
    by ryan_s at 02/22/10 10:01PM
  • rironin
    Rawk
    by rironin at 02/22/10 10:58PM
  • robynbobm
    Hoping for you!
    by robynbobm at 02/22/10 11:47PM
  • beavermom
    ^James, lol! Brian, good luck and take a deep breath!
    by beavermom at 02/23/10 5:00AM
  • niffer
    ^^^ who is that guy with the long hair?lol
    good luck! :)
    by niffer at 02/24/10 12:42AM
  • rironin
    The long-haired gentleman is the surprisingly super-nice Andrew W. K.
    by rironin at 02/24/10 3:27PM
  • kailua
    Did you read about this yet? "Whale Kills Trainer at SeaWorld" It happened in Orlando - SeaWorld with an Orca Whale. The 40 year old trainer's name was Dawn Brancheau. She was the park's most experienced trainer. The whale's name is Tilikum and he was involved in two other deaths. Such tragedy and saddness.
    by kailua at 02/24/10 8:29PM
  • star97
    good luck!
    by star97 at 03/06/10 1:29PM
  • fullofgrace
    by fullofgrace at 03/20/10 12:40PM

Not the best day

at 02/19/10 12:32AM
I feel like I’m kind of hitting a wall.

Work is stressful and now I'm heading into the final stretch of this term’s school work, just a few more weeks left int the term and projects are piling up.

I’m still doing my workouts every day (with a rest day on Sunday), but I’m really struggling to justify the hour-plus I’m spending on them with all of the other work I have to do piling up.

It’s cool though, I’ll make it through, somehow.

Just keep swimming…right?

~Brian
  • robynbobm
    right. This point in the term felt overwhelming to me too, and I had way less on my plate. But then it goes by and you made it.
    by robynbobm at 02/19/10 2:34AM
  • tweedledee
    You can dooooo it! Keep up the good work!
    by tweedledee at 02/19/10 8:45AM
  • mischief_mayhem_soap
    I completely understand the feeling. I'm driving into Boston everyday for work and spending 2-3 hours in the car when I could be doing homework of giving massages is really getting to me. I really wish I could find something closer to home so I'd have time for all my school stuff and maybe even time to start working out a couple times a week. I think it would do me a world of good. But unfortunately it's not working out that way yet.
    *sigh* Just keep swimming.
    by mischief_mayhem_soap at 02/19/10 9:03AM
  • thewifeofbud
    Awwa, you're so close! Just think of the goal!!! =) Love you!
    by thewifeofbud at 02/19/10 1:30PM
  • beavermom
    You can do it, Marathon Man! :)
    by beavermom at 02/19/10 3:21PM
  • lifeisgoood
    No wonder you sleep like a rock. Sprinkle in some simple pleasures when you can. You deserve it!
    by lifeisgoood at 02/19/10 3:23PM
  • larryandrosalie
    Swimming?
    by larryandrosalie at 02/19/10 7:29PM
  • redmartineau
    No, not real swimming. I'm not that ambitious yet!
    It's a line from the movie "Finding Nemo".
    by redmartineau at 02/19/10 10:33PM
  • ryan_s
    Cool, I will check with you in advance to set a time for the ZOO trip so you can come :-)
    by ryan_s at 02/20/10 8:47PM
  • schmidtkins
    right
    by schmidtkins at 02/20/10 9:18PM

When I say YO, you say GA!

at 02/12/10 7:46PM
YO-GA

YO-GA


~Brian
  • thewifeofbud
    =)
    by thewifeofbud at 02/12/10 8:28PM
  • gokulives
    Yo -
    by gokulives at 02/12/10 8:29PM
  • gokulives
    - gurt!
    by gokulives at 02/12/10 8:29PM
  • nottoscale
    Yo -
    by nottoscale at 02/12/10 10:56PM
  • nottoscale
    - delayheehoo!
    by nottoscale at 02/12/10 10:57PM
  • Dead_Space_Riebe
    that's funny cuz the golf course has it at 9:30am and 5:30 pm everyother day and i'm tinking about doing it myself to help loose the weight i need to loose.
    by Dead_Space_Riebe at 02/13/10 2:26AM
  • fullofgrace
    yo mama!
    by fullofgrace at 02/13/10 10:25AM
  • larryandrosalie
    GA! ;oD !!!
    by larryandrosalie at 02/13/10 2:20PM
  • niffer
    ooh i like yoga. :)
    yo-
    yo-
    ma!
    haha
    by niffer at 02/13/10 4:45PM
  • kendrad
    What's In Georgia? : D
    by kendrad at 02/14/10 4:09PM
  • redmartineau
    Pain.

    And snow, from what I hear...
    by redmartineau at 02/15/10 11:30AM
  • beavermom
    WHen I say eat you up now, you say fire, fire, fire!!
    by beavermom at 02/15/10 3:39PM
  • robynbobm
    I like yoga.
    by robynbobm at 02/16/10 8:03PM

I Bit It Off, Now I Just Have To Figure Out If It’s More Than I Can Chew!

at 02/11/10 12:20AM
Alright, I can’t make this post too long because I still have to eat and get some homework done before I go to bed (at a somewhat reasonable hour), but I wanted to update you all after my last post.

I just finished day three, of week two, of the twelve weeks of my exercise program.

Tonight I did fifteen minutes of abdominal/core work, and an hour-long shoulder/bicep/triceps workout.

Weeks one through three are setup like this:

Day One (Monday for me): 15min. Abs, 1 hour Chest/Back.
Day Two: 1 hour Plyometrics (“Jump Training”, sort of a jumpy aerobics thing).
Day Three: 15min. Abs, 1 hour Shoulders/Arms.
Day Four: 1 ½ hours Yoga.
Day Five: 15min. Abs, 1 hour Legs/Back.
Day Six: 1 hour Kempo (“Karate-style Aerobics”).
Day Seven: “Rest”.

Thoughts so far: Well, the first week I tried getting up the requisite amount of time earlier than I normally would, and work out BEFORE going to work. I did all of the workouts that week, but setting the alarm clock for 4:30am just hurt too much, so I decided to try doing nighttime workouts again this week. Working out at night is what I did for the other two attempts at this, and the same problems I had with this arrangement still apply this time. Three days out of the week I get home from work or school after 7:30pm, so I work out for about an hour, take a shower and am ready to START dinner around 10pm(ish). This leads to heartburn, sluggishness the next morning, and I am told this is the same eating schedule that Sumo wrestlers use to attain their size (not my athletic goal here).

And it’s midterm week, so yeah, there’s five of those too.

I have yet to figure this conundrum out, but am still motivated to move forward with this. I think that having the extra accountability of my friends here actually knowing that I am attempting this (and actually caring), will help me to follow-through, so thanks!

I’ll keep you updated on changes, thoughts, new routines, etc. And who knows? If things go well maybe I’ll even put up a few pictures, no promises though…

Y’all rock on now, ya hear?

~Brian
  • robynbobm
    you too!
    by robynbobm at 02/11/10 1:07AM
  • thewifeofbud
    Wow, you have a very busy schedule! And I thought I was busy, lol! One day I'll make it to the gym!
    by thewifeofbud at 02/11/10 10:35AM
  • lifeisgoood
    Sounds like by June you'll be a college graduate with a savings account and a muscular physique. Way to go.
    by lifeisgoood at 02/11/10 11:25AM
  • larryandrosalie
    G-O-O Brian!!! ;o)
    by larryandrosalie at 02/11/10 3:41PM
  • scbrewer
    GO YOU! That's so awesome. I'm working on how to work out at home where I'm not completely distracted by everything going on around me, like laundry and dishes and dinner and things. I work out every day of the week at the gym on campus, cardio MWF and weights with cardio warm up and cool downs on TR. I don't sleep well if I don't do something extra active. I need to put yoga or pilates back in somewhere.

    Keep it up! Sounds like you are doing a good job!
    by scbrewer at 02/11/10 4:31PM
  • beavermom
    Go, Brian! Go, Brian! You can do it! Rock your workout!
    by beavermom at 02/11/10 7:14PM
  • fullofgrace
    *cheers*
    by fullofgrace at 02/11/10 8:35PM