But now that I've really got to work on schoolwork, college apps, and studio art stuff, I find my time's being used up on serious things, and this is something I'm not used to. I'm accustomed to learning and finishing chores/homework fast and having plenty of time afterward to spend on YouTube or Tumblr or whatever. What, I have to work around the clock now? I have to manage my time? I have to be responsible? What? What? What?
Ergo, I've been interested in stuff that helps me relax - I focus even worse than normal when I am under semi-pressure - full on last-minute panic always works wonders for me, though it's probably not a smart thing to do regularly. So far, music has been my destressinator. Even before art, because now art projects have two week deadlines I have to meet, and that's something that's not so good for perfectionist me. Reading also doesn't work anymore, because when I read, I'm constantly panicking about the stuff I should be doing instead.
And, of course, rain helps. Because good old soothing rain is probably the most relaxing thing to listen to.
So I made another (reference) list!
List of Songs That Go Best With RainyMood (not in order)
1. Chasing Cars - Snow Patrol
2. Rain - Priscilla Ahn
3. Weightless - Marconi Union
4. Brielle - Sky Sailing
5. Intro - The XX
6. Oceandust - Hands Like Houses
7. Pieces -Red
8. Hallelujah - Jeff Buckley
9. Stable Song - Death Cab for Cutie
10. Violet Hill - Coldplay
Also, I mentally cringed and facepalmed today when I reread my "Stuck in Subpar" post. Wow. Sleep deprivation and a session of self reflection can really do things to you. So, I've decided to actually do something to better the way I look at myself! My, it's so nice being proactive!
I want to spend each week researching one plant or animal, so as to expand my knowledge about nature in general. I'll summarize what I learn, and then add on all the crazy random facts associated with each plant or animal.
I'm starting close to home: the coastal redwood tree (sequoia sempervirens).
It's the tallest tree species in the world (the tallest one measured was 379.1 ft - 6 stories higher than the Statue of Liberty. It's name is Hyperion - fitting). It's an evergreen tree, and their native habitats are only in coastal California and in mountainous slopes in China (where they were previously thought to be extinct). Their distant relatives date back to dinosaur times, and have migrated since then rather than adapted through the ages. That's why their native habitats are so narrow.
They do not rely on fog to survive, much like a lot of other evergreen trees, but it does help. The way it helps is that the fog condenses on the flat needle groups and drips down, like airborne drip irrigation. Usually 1-2% of the 100-200 seeds per cone ever germinate. Seedlings can survive for decades and even centuries in the understory, before the canopy opens enough for them to really grow. However, most new redwoods sprout from the burls at the base of the redwoods
Crazy Facts:
- It holds the record for the most biomass ever recorded - one tree has a stem biomass of 1,544 tons/acre.
- Oldest confirmed redwood is 2,200 years old - that's around the freaking Ancient Grecian times. Some are thought to be even older.
- The bark of a redwood is very thick, and can be up to a foot in places. Also, it chars into a heat shield when exposed to heat - a.k.a., the redwood is practically fireproof.
- The bark secretes some sort of distasteful chemical that prevents bugs and stuff from burrowing. So buildings use redwood on the outside of houses to prevent termites. Also, there's no resin in redwood bark.
- The redwood has 6 sets of chromosomes - we only have two.
- And to make you feel sad - of the nearly 2 million acres of the primeval forest, approximately 95% has been logged in the past 200 years. Today, less than 5 percent of the ancient trees survive.
No comments:
Post a Comment