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Shake the Grass

Senior design is coming up, and I'm excited about the possibilities for our iDEA (Incubator Designed for Emerging Areas) in the future. Hopefully, my incredible teammates will be able to take it to Haiti and install it in the Albert Schweitzer hospital this summer. It's been a whirlwind couple of weeks, and frankly I'm amazed we were able to get to the point we're at. I knew we could do it as a team, but when I pushed everyone to get on board with the project in the fall I had no idea (no pun intended) how far they'd be able to get. I really didn't expect to be thinking about shipping something down so soon.
The design project isn't the only thing taking up time, though. I've been working on growing those yummy neuron donuts for Henry Zeringue, and taking care of all the rest of my classes, working on Engineers Without Borders stuff, all the while preparing to go to Africa for two months. With my decision not to apply to medical school this year, things are slightly less stressful, but the work still feels like it takes up nearly every second of night and day. If I didn't have Bailey around in every project and in every class, I'm frankly not sure how I could manage it.

I stumbled on to this poem. It's by Ezra Pound. I don't know anything about Mr. Pound other than that my grandmother likes his poetry, and Gregory liked his poetry for about a week.

And the days are not full enough
And the nights are not full enough
And life slips by like a field mouse
               Not shaking the grass.

Why does this poem resonate with me so strongly? Now, when every moment of my day seems filled with something I love, with work that is meaningful, which could impact the world in a very real, concrete way? Why does it still feel as though some fear is holding me back? Why has the work gradually become empty?

If the world were filled with people who not only knew what the right thing to do was, but were brave enough to do it, I think amazing things could happen. I'll try to live that out, but it's got to be Gratiae Dei, because of myself I have no strength.

Leaving Behind a To Do List

This summer, I'll be embarking on an experience which should prove to be pretty life changing. I'm excited about it for a number of reasons and I think I'll go into them later. For now, I think I'll be posting on home though.

Emma is going to be in Pittsburgh this summer. As I will be away, I've decided to compile a list for her to keep her busy, and hopefully as much as possible out of the Bioengineering Lab (aka the B62-3 Dungeon). While I have no clue if many of the things on this list will interest her as much as they interest me, I figured I'd put them out there just for the heck of it.

1. Get a bike. If you want one for free, you can get them from freeride. It's a bike co-op located in point breeze, near my house. You can get a donated bike in fairly good condition just by volunteering some hours working in the shop. It's great because you learn some bike maintenance skills along the way. Of course, if you don't want to do that, there is always the option of paying in cash. But who wants to do that? You can find it here:

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2. Do some exploring. Pittsburgh's not bad in the summer, and there is a lot to do outside of Oakland. While on your way back from Freeride, stop in at the East End Food Co-op and pick up a bike map. This will really get you a lot of places, if you're feeling brave. They're also available in the Iron City Bike shop on South Bouquet.
If you can make it down to Regent Square, where I call home, (it's just down Forbes Ave) you'll find a lot of great stuff to do. I've highlighted a few favorites on this map:

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With the bike trails, Lawerenceville and the South Side are pretty accessible too, so I'd recommend getting out there although I don't have as much of an idea of what to do.

3. See some movies. On Wednesdays and Sundays at dusk, free movies are shown on Flagstaff Hill. Rarely are they very good, but if you get a good group to go with you it can be fun just to make fun of and enjoy the atmosphere. If you're into some more artful movies, Pittsburgh Filmmakers shows movies (at a low student rate of $5). There's a place on Melwood Ave., one downtown and one on Regent Square.

4. The Three Rivers Arts Festival. It's fun thing to do downtown during the summer. I won't really be here for most of it this year.

5. Get out of the city. There are a lot of parks and places to go camping. Try the Laurel Highlands (~1 hr away by car). You can rent canoes or a sailboat on Lake Arthur in Moraine State Park to the north. McConnell's Mill is close to Lake Arthur and is a pretty place to look around. There is also Ohiopyle, and Fallingwater in the other direction.

You can do all the typical stuff (zoos, museums, etc.) and they are fun, but I wanted to give some different ideas of what to do.

Now I wish I was going to be here this summer...
Not really. ;)