So Many Monarchs!
January 25, 2010 at 7:32 pm | Posted in Leisure, Recreation | Leave a commentTags: monarch butterfly grove, pismo
Sometimes you want something fun to do, but you don’t feel like doing anything exciting or terribly physical. Sometimes you just feel like relaxing, taking a leisurely stroll, and simply appreciating your surroundings. For days like this, I reccomend the Monarch butterfly grove in Pismo.
Located next to the Pismo campgrounds, the Monarch butterfly grove is a cluster of Eucalyptus and Monterey pine trees with a trail running through it. Every year, from late October through February, thousands of Monarchs flock to the grove, and people from all over come to walk the trail and see the butterflies. There are even telescopes along the trail, so that you can see the Monarchs on the higher branches.
The butterflies travel over the Sierra Mountains and west of the Rocky Mountains, though some come from as far away as Canada. They migrate to Pismo to escape the cold northern climate, and once they all arrive, the trees become so thick with Monarchs that the leaves appear orange and black.
Now, most people come just to walk the trail and see the Monarchs, but if you’re a real butterfly enthusiast, you can take it a step further. Monarch experts line the trail, prepared to answer any questions you may have, and at the end of the trail there are picnic tables where you can sit and listen to a lecture about the butterflys’ migration patterns. There’s also a mobile gift shop at the end of the trail, which sells everything from Monarch t-shirts to books about Monarchs.
So whether you’re batty for butterflies or simply in the mood for a peaceful afternoon, Pismo’s Monarch butterfly grove is the place to go. Either way, be sure to bring a camera with you, because thick masses of butterflies are just one of those things you have to see to believe.
Many butterflies clinging to the trees.
Up close of a butterfly.
Grab Your Glowsticks!
January 24, 2010 at 8:03 pm | Posted in Concerts/Performances | Leave a commentTags: cal poly, chumash auditorium, cpedm, ignite, play, rave, university union
Are you a fan of techno and electronic dance music? How about glowsticks– lots and lots of glowsticks? If you answered yes to both of these questions, or at least the first one, then you’ll probably enjoy the raves thrown by Central Pacific Electronic Dance Music.
CPEDM is a club based mostly out of Cal Poly, and it’s main goal is to unite all the electronic dance music fans on the Central Coast. Since the majority of the people in the area listen to either country or pop, the founders were surprised by the large number of people (about 300) that stepped forward when the club was first formed.
So far, CPEDM has thrown two events this year, both held in Chumash Auditorium in the university union. The first one, PLAY, took place during fall quarter, on November 7. The second one, IGNITE!, happened just last night (January 23). Both events featured talent from local DJs such as Andrew Westby, Audio Alkemy, Jake Is…, Loel, and DJ Moth. Costs of admission were $5 per person.
One cool feature of CPEDM’s events is that they have three rooms: the main stage, an “alt room”, and a “chill room.” So if you’re not the biggest fan of dancing, you can always go into the chill room, pull up a chair, and just kick back and enjoy the music. Or perhaps you do enjoy dancing, just not in such huge crowds, in which case the alt room would be perfect for you.
CPEDM has not yet announced when it’s next event will be, but you can find out by joining it’s Facebook group, which will not only fill you in on when the events are, but also send you information reguarding CPEDM’s meetings, in case you’d rather help set up an event than simply attend one. Either way, just remember CPEDM’s most important rule: PLURR (Peace, Love, Unity, Respect, and Responsibility).
The crowd in the main stage room at PLAY.
Someone putting on an epic light show for those at PLAY.
One of many talented DJs who spun at PLAY.
Dew-ing Things a Little Differently
January 21, 2010 at 6:56 am | Posted in Alternative Writing, Timelines | Leave a commentTags: addiction, Alternative Writing, mountain dew, timeline
For those of you who don’t know, I created this blog, “The SLO Way to Bust Boredom,” as a class assignment. Most of my blog posts are supposed to pertain to my topic, but we’ve just been asked to create some form of “alternate writing”– for example, a timeline, graph, quiz, or etc.
I’ve been addicted to the soft drink Mountain Dew for several years now, but recently I went about two and a half weeks without any. Since this topic was so fresh in my mind, I decided to create a timeline of my Mountain Dew addiction.
Feeling Blue?
January 21, 2010 at 1:45 am | Posted in Artistic Expression | 1 CommentTags: art, blue painters' tape, cal poly, san luis obispo, trinity hall
Everyone knows that one has to be pretty intelligent to be able to get into Cal Poly, but if someone’s a resident of Trinity Hall, the liberal arts dorm, it’s fairly safe to guess that that person is artistic as well.
In December, Trinity decided to have “Blue Tape Week” on the entire first floor of the building (though it ended up becoming more like Blue Tape Month since nobody wanted to destroy all the creations so soon). During Blue Tape Week/Month, blue painters’ tape was provided at the front desk, and the residents were allowed to use it all over the walls, doors, and anywhere else they could think of to create works of art. Tape may not be the first thing that comes to mind when it comes to artistic mediums, but Trinity’s Blue Tape Week/Month proved that lots of people not only enjoy expressing themselves this way, but may also be incredibly talented with it.
Squirtle, Pikachu, and Charmander from Pokemon. ~ Photo taken by Ali Weiss.
Hogwarts Castle, from the Harry Potter series. ~ Photo taken by me.
See what I mean? The blue tape Hogwarts Castle is actually still on the wall– the only blue tape artwork that the R.A.’s didn’t insist on tearing down.
So if you’ve been wondering what to do with that big blank wall in your house and inspiration has struck, why not create some blue tape artwork of your own? You can make it whatever you want it to be, and the best part is that you can just peel it right off if you decide that you don’t like it.
Gotta P?
January 12, 2010 at 3:10 am | Posted in Recreation | Leave a commentTags: cal poly, hiking, san luis obispo, the p
Two of the most common annoyances that plague Cal Poly students are boredom and “the Freshman 15″. Boredom arises when all of your friends are busy with schoolwork or other plans, and you have nothing to occupy yourself with. The Freshman 15 refers to the average of about 15 pounds that many students gain during their first year of college.
Now, if you’d like to kill two birds with one stone, the obvious solution here is to excercise. Not only will it help slim you down, but it’ll also simply give you something to do. Don’t like running or going to the gym? Not to worry– there’s an alternative.
Hiking is a common activity among San Luis Obispo residents, and if there’s one hike that every Cal Poly student has to do at least once, it’s the hike to the P. Even if you aren’t looking for excercise or entertainment, this is a hike you must take for the sake of tradition. No Poly student can say that they’ve had a full college experience until they’ve seen the beautiful view from up on Poly Hill, located just past the parking lot behind Trinity Hall.
The P has a rich history that dates back to 1919, back when it was just made out of whitewashed stones. What started off as a prank by a group of high schoolers soon evolved into a legacy that Cal Poly still treasures to this very day.
History aside though, hiking up Poly Hill to the P is practically an unofficial graduation requirement. The majority of students take their first P hike as freshman during WOW (Week of Welcome). Depending on which trail you take, the hike can be fairly strenuous, but anyone who’s done it can assure you that it’s completely worth it. No words can describe the feeling of standing up on Poly Hill, looking down on the entire Cal Poly campus. It’s beautiful, breathtaking, and unforgettable.
- The P, as seen from campus.
- Yours truly, as seen sitting beside the P.
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