Undirected Blog #7

For this blog I plan on writing about my experience/non-experience voting in the recent election, and the article posted recently, "Going Out On A Limb With A Tree-Person Ratio."

I submitted my voter registration for a change of address with my university's Associated Students. A.S. said that they would submit all of the registration forms for its students. However, someone dropped the ball and many students were left out of the vote because of A.S.'s mistake. I am so dissappointed that I did not get to participate in the election, and that it was not my own fault. While I do support the Presidential outcome, I do not support the outcome of Proposition 8 and I wish I could have voted on that proposition even though I realize that the numbers don't (usually) lie, and my "no" vote wouldn't have changed anything.

Moving on to the tree-person ratio article... My hometown is Eureka, California and I have grown up surrounded by trees. Not just ordinary trees, beautiful, huge, and glorious Redwood Trees. I love what trees represent. The Redwoods that surround my house have always represented a kind of fortress or protection to me. They also seem wise because of all of the years it takes for them to get to such a large size. Trees see so much in the world and many of the trees I've lived near have been much much older than I am, and I love knowing that they have been in the world longer than I have, and may be in the world long after I'm gone.

I also wonder if I have reached my "quota" of tree-usage. I look around and the majority of what I own is somehow wood based, and I begin to wonder if I'm putting anything back in the world for the trees. This Arbor Day I think I will definitely be planting trees to make up for it. Also, I like that there is emphasis put on the fact that trees are renewable, unlike oil, and that we can put back what we have used if we are willing to.