Janice Spring's Questionnaire

Growing up in San Bernadino County, there's not much to do there. However, Janice's parents would always take her hiking to escape suburbia. Thus after she finished high-school, the first thing she did was start volunteering at Joshua Tree National Park. Eventually this lead to her becoming a Park Ranger. The homes at the park provided a sense of comfort living in nature. Janice always dreaded going back to visit her family in the suburbs due to there being too much high-pitched noises, and worsening air quality. Really a life in nature was best for Janice. She appreciated the sounds of animals and the smell of trees much more than the dull life surrounding the city her family lived in.

Eventually, wanting to experience a change in life, she moved to White Sands National Park. Finding the Desert life much different than in a forest, she was also able to find space from her taxing family.

Working as a park ranger, the federal government provides Janice with her paycheck. Unfortunately, because she lived under the realm of the government in their housing at her place of work, it all went back into the federal government. At least it provided some great health benefits. The rest of the money went into a big supply of art materials. Every once in a while, Janice would see an amazing image of a deer running around in the forest, and she would try to recreate it in a painting of some sort. Unfortunately, it never came out the way she imagined.

My life's ambition is to stop animals from going extinct. Of course, there are species out there that will not be able to survive changing situations well enough. However, I'd like to end humans hunting animals to extinction. All animals have their place in their environment. By having them die out, there are unknowable possibilities of ruin for the future.

In order for me to fix this, I think that I need to go higher. By becoming a higher up in the US federal government, I hope to someday have enough influence to oversee programs and end the act of excessive hunting. I want enough power that someday I can stop the hunting of animals nearing extinction, and be able to move funding towards the revival of animals that are already wiped out.

I think that the overall health of the environment is worth more than a human's life, even my own. Someday there will come a time in which my life must also be given to ensure the survival of the earth and it's inhabitants.

One day, I was out with my mother on a hunting session. Together we were driving across a shallow river. Suddenly, one of the tires popped. The car flipped over, landing upside down. We were both trapped inside. After clicking the SOS vehicle, I was able to pull myself out. I pulled my mom out of the wreckage. The vehicle eventually ignited setting itself and the nearby brush on fire. Thankfully my mother and I were safe, across from it on the other side of the river. While we waiting for help to come, night had eventually come. We thought that perhaps someone would see the smoke or answer the SOS and come rescue us. However, no one came. Eventually, we managed to forage enough food and water that we felt comfortable trying to backtrack our way out. We used the stars to help guide us, and eventually found out way to civilization.

My mother is perhaps the most polar person in my life. She is the reason that I am alive today. Mentally I was never there after a traumatic experience in my life, which we shared. My mother and I were each other's rocks when things were tough. We reminded one another to take care of ourselves, stepping in when the other could not. However, eventually she moved on, and I couldn't. She moved in with her new boyfriend, while I was stuck in a house by myself. I will never forget that moment over email that I saw she had started renting an apartment with her boyfriend.

Living at a national park, Melissa was the strangest girl I had met. For someone who worked in a social position, she wasn't really able to speak with visitors much. She was such a shy girl when we first met. I'm not sure how she even passed her interview. However, she's really grown into herself greatly. She's become much more confident now, and I feel safe leaving the national park in her hands. She's an independent adult now, and I know that she'll come to make great waves someday.

The person I hold onto most nowadays is a friend of mine from when I was still in university. Carlos been the best person in my life. Since I've known him we've somehow connected so strongly. We're on such a wavelength, that it scares me sometimes.  While we've moved far apart and have become busy in our lives, the times we've linked back up, nothing seems to have changed. He currently works in the judicial branch of the government, as a public defense attorney. We've both somehow ended up being broke, but happy.

My childhood wasn't the best. My parents, Justine and Jordan had difficulties often. They were the best of parents whenever I was with them one on one. However, when they were together, it seemed as if nothing could stop them from being at one another's throats. School was the time that I could get away from them. It was the sanctuary I had, I could focus on work there, and not have to think about the screams going on at home. I didn't really fit in. When others were focused on atheltics, I was nose deep in a book, trying to escape reality.

Eventually my parents realized they would never work out together, and when they separated life got easier. My mom took me out hunting a few times, and it really got me out of my shell. My dad was a big military history buff, and would often take me out to museums and war reenactments. It was really the best time of my life. However, after a traumatic experience, my dad demanded that I live with him instead of my mom. She chose to leave me, and moved in with her partner. The only times I would see her were through video calls. Eventually it depressed me to the point I didn't want it anymore. I felt she didn't want a relationship with me anymore. I threw away my phone and haven't gone back since. Now mainly, I send mail in. Both of my parents think that somehow I'm more of a relic than them now.

Love hasn't even crossed my mind. It's never really been much of a concern for me. Sure I've dated people, but they've never felt more than like a best friend to me. I always thought that they would stop hanging out with me if I didn't date them. I've always felt super attached to my friends. While I make frequent jokes about marrying them, to me there's not much sanctity in marriage. I'd rather live my life by myself. Letting others in too close often feels like I'm giving away too much of my self. But I can't help doing so.

Janice is incredibly embarrassed to admit that she has a fear of technology. I mean she's fine with anything that involves stuff before 1940s weirdly enough. It's a distinction that she doesn't know why it matters. But she's not good with iPads. In fact she once had a panic attack because of someone handing it over to her. Despite her not even using it.

It stems from her teenage years, when she was left starving in the woods with her mom. She tried to reach out to SOS. Her car flipped over. It was really bad. It's unfortunate and irrational why she thinks this way. She worked as a researched while studying an environmental degree. She's been using technology for her whole life. But this is something she can't get over. It isn't something that she can just power through. She has to put in major mental fortitude to utilize it. There's nothing much she can do in fact. She's been trying to get over it, she really has been. Unfortunately it'll take time. Time which she does not have at all. She's stuck not really being able to connect with many people because of this. She's lonely, deeply by her self.

Janice's most prized possession is a 9mm handgun she received from her mom on her 18th birthday. Janice had been doing recreational shooting for a while with her mom, but after getting into college, she didn't really have the money or the time to go shooting much. During spring break and her birthday, she was surprised to see that her mom had presented her with a gun.

Since then, she's brought it almost everywhere with her. She had a gun safe in her car, and always had a spare box of ammo wherever she went. She's used it to defend herself against street thugs, and other assailants. Though when she got her job as a park ranger, she's been assigned her own firearm from work, so her 9mm has been retired. She keeps it in a safe along with the rest of her valuables. She still regularly uses it for at the range to make sure that it isn't left feeling unappreciated.

Janice's biggest hurdle in life has always been trying to call her father. It has always been a terrible time for her that she's been unable to even be able to get a cellphone. Combined with speaking with her dad, she's always never measured up. He worked in the tech industry, and basically gave up calling or text messages. However, he only had a phone line for work, and because Janice only used phones. She could never use Facebook, or even text. In fact, she's really only up to the basic basic of technology. Her car was from practically the ancient times, and she knows she'll be greatly saddened when her rust bucket ends. Her dad was so argumentative when she asked him for the car, he had wanted to her to ask for an electric car, but there was no way she could even function with the iPad for the screens. Nowadays, Janice sends her dad mail, which he checks only because of her.

Lately these mornings I've gotten used to waking up early, and prepping myself a cup of coffee. It's been a meditative ritual almost. The rush of caffeine makes me feel like I can trudge through the morning meetings with my subordinates, and make it seem as if things will be alright. Catching up on paperwork seems like it's been rough to even think about. There's so many patrol routes that I need to change everytime. I think that smugglers have been catching onto us. They're becoming smarter and smarter everyday. It feels like I'll need to go back on patrol myself if things get worse.

Even though this sort of busy work is aggravating. It's been nice to keep up with all the other workers here. We've got a common goal. Seeing them all start out and grow their career here makes me feel good about myself. I want to make sure that they get all the help they need to succeed.

Lately, I've been having a lot more meetings lately. It's been with a lot of hire-ups too. I can tell that my wardrobe is not up to snuff anymore. They've got all these fancy new smartwatches, and a suit that costs half my annual salary. I can sort of fake it enough with the uniforms that we have.

Going to the salon and getting a blow-out when I need to seems to atleast make sure that I look presentable enough for the hire-ups. I've been really keeping up with my skin care too. The dry desert weather makes sure that I need to. Since my job is active, I don't try to put on heavy makeup, but for the meetings in the head offices, I've been spending an hour before I leave home to freshen up. I'm not sure how much it helps though, since I keep getting told to smile more often.

Hopefully I'm able to get time off to head home to catch up with my Mom. Even though we don't see each other much, it's been great to even just be able to eat lunch with her. She's been calling asking about when I'm next free, so hopefully we'll be able to see one another gain soon.

I'll make sure to book a nice restaurant for us to eat at together. She mentioned a new french place opened up at home that I've been dying to try out. A girl loves her pastries after all. God I wish I had a place that made some nice croissants.