I haven't updated this blog in a month, and for those of you who rely on it for information about the Life of Maggie, I apologize for being lax in my writing. In short, this is what has been happening:

During the early April, I presented my thesis at the regional Northwest Anthropological Conference (NWAC) in Newport. I gained insight into the strange world of archaeology, met a lot of interesting academic folks, and found out what I don't want to be like thirty years from now. My presentation was successful and well-met.

I also attended a career and graduate school fair around the same time, where I gathered a ton of information and later wondered why on earth I didn't just take down website addresses instead. My name on a non-profit list (Fund for the Public Interest) has resulted in numerous phone calls and emails from recruiters trying to draft me for canvassing neighborhoods and "raising hell" for the sake of change. I don't know about you, but I'd rather make friends to save the world instead of belligerent and frustrated enemies.

I attended a spectacular set of lectures on campus from Dr. Philip Zimbardo, social psychologist and creator of the Stanford Prison Experiment. It was fascinating information and very compelling for a packed audience of undergrads. I also recently had dinner with a visiting philosopher, Dr. Michael P. Nelson of Michigan S.U. and official ethicist for the Isle Royale Wolf-Moose Project (look it up - it's amazing). The same dinner included the president of Linfield, three professors, a tribal leader from the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, and one other student (a friend of mine). We were careful to watch our manners.

Last week I turned in a working final draft of my thesis... and for three whole days I was "free" of the project. Now I have some editing to do, and knowing my drive to perfect everything, I believe it will take twice as long as my advisors expect to get the results that I will find suitable for printing. Isn't the last month supposed to be fun and relaxed...?

Recently I've had the pleasure of spending more time with a dear friend whom I haven't seen much of on campus for the last two years - partly because she was in France for nine months. I forget how much fun it can be to make dinner for other people and watch Mystery Science Theatre 3000 when my own world is so narrowly focused on myself and those immediately around me.

In roughly three weeks I will graduate from Linfield with a B.S. in Anthropology and minor in Sociology. June through September will be spent in the San Juan Islands once more doing what I love to do, and after that... I'm really not concerned (surprisingly) about what comes next. Grad school eventually, but for the next two years, I'm looking forward to just LIVING and experiencing the life of a non-student. Perhaps this will help me to appreciate grad school even more, since my life is so attuned to studies and learning as much as I can. I'll be considering open doors, wherever they may lead to... but for the time being, I need to work on my thesis.

That, in a nutshell, was the last month at Linfield.

I visited the Registrar's Office today to make a slight adjustment to my diploma's final layout. I realized only two weeks ago that I have enough credits to double-major in both Anthropology AND Sociology (previously my minor). When I signed my "Intent to Graduate" form, the clerk looked confused when I listed only one major. "You do know that you have enough to have two academic majors, don't you? Linfield students don't have to declare a minor."

No, I did not know that - which is why it never occurred to me to double-major.

But now I can. And I have. Assuming they don't mess up on my program evaluation, it will be pretty cool to say that I was able to pull off a double major in college. It only involved taking almost every class offered in the department... but still, I feel like my identity and allegiance in the SOAN realm is no longer uncertain.

Yay!

Yes - this is the type of Change that we can really believe in. And now, despite FOX News' sarcastic remarks toward the irony of climate change terminology (i.e. protesters with "global warming" signs marching in deep snow), I feel that most organizations can no longer deny the fact that our earth is following a rapid pattern of change for better or for worse. And what is the best means of combating this unknown/unpredictable phenomenon with the capacity to alter our lifeways on a worldwide scale? Education, my dear readers - education is the key.

Last week our campus was presented with the incredible opportunity to attend a lecture by Bill Bradbury, former U.S. Secretary of State for Oregon. His presentation was based off of training with Al Gore for climate change education. As part of his journey to leave the world a better place for his grandchildren, Mr. Bradbury has been traveling to towns around Oregon to discuss challenges to environmental restoration and resource use. I was enthralled by the information that was presented, although much of it was difficult to realize and still hard to come to terms with. Unfortunately, I was one of only five Linfield students who heard the lecture, and one of five who might know at this point that northern ice caps will likely be nonexistent a century from now if we don't drastically reduce our atmospheric emissions.

Many of the people in attendance were local retired citizens from the Yamhill County area. I expected that they would all be interested in learning more for the sake of their children and grandchildren. However, I started to despair at the fact that fewer young people were being reached. Don't you think that my generation will be responsible for addressing the issue, rather than those who are ready to retire and relax? It's easy to be ignorant, but in the end, that ignorance will end up being our downfall unless we reach out to those who will be the direct recipients of the results of our predecessors' decisions.

Tonight I'm attending another lecture entitled, "Where in the World Will Our Energy Come From?" by California Institute of Technology professor Nathan Lewis. The presentation is scheduled to take place in our largest auditorium and will hopefully draw in more students to hear what is being said about options for the future. We can't continue to believe that "drill here, drill now" will work when it presents only a temporary solution to a long-term problem. Even if you cannot hear Dr. Lewis' lecture, I encourage you to become aware and get involved in whatever way you can. Keep in mind that this is the ONLY planet that we have, and will likely remain the only one for many years to come.