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Off for another field weekend

One down, five more to go. I love the class, but I miss my weekends. If I had just one day completely off during the week, I'd be completely fine with having my whole official weekends taken up; when I worked for Fish and Wildlife, I got my weekends in the middle of the week, and it always worked quite well for me.

I'm hoping for warmer nights this weekend, as we're sleeping outside in tents (or inside on the floor with the field mice, so I'll take the tent, thanks). It's forecasted to pour on Saturday, so I'll be outside doing research in that.

My room is almost decorated, but it's also quite messy. Once I get everything cleaned up, I'll take pictures for everyone.

Strange Weather Pattern

I have no clue what exactly is happening, but it is inexplicably cold in Ann Arbor for some reason. Two independent weather sources are telling me that it's currently 30 degrees F right now.

I guess I'll bundle up for class and expect to peel layers, since the high today is forcast in the 60s.

I hope it warms up at night by the weekend, because sleeping out at the field site won't be fun if it's below freezing.

The Cell

When I saw this video, I was reminded about the core of being a biologist. Deep at heart, I am awed by the natural world. Everything from the interior workings of a cell out to the scope of populations on a large scale is just amazing to me. Some days, it's almost unbelievable that life is so brilliant.

Thunderstorm

It's pouring buckets here, and sirens just wailed past. I forgot how loud and scary thunder can be when it's right above your head. The gutters are flooded, and my neighbor's driveway sits under a layer of water.

In some ways, geography is mostly a social phenomenon. But when weather events like this happen, I'm reminded that I really am far from home in a strange land where rain falls in torrents and the sky bursts forth in anger. In Seattle, our rain was a light emo sobbing, and here I feel like the gods are seeking revenge.

Outside looking in

I've linked to him before, but he's still deserving. Go over and visit the latest Waiterrant article; it's an excellent piece about the nature of being human.

Following Precedent

Sam Walter Foss
[A poem about creativity]
(1895)

One day through the primeval wood
A calf walked home as good calves should;
But made a trail all bent askew,
A crooked trail as all calves do.

Since then three hundred years have fled,
And I infer the calf is dead.
But still he left behind his trail,
And thereby hangs my moral tale.
The trail was taken up next day
By a lone dog that passed that way;
And then a wise bellwether sheep
Pursued the trail o'er hill and glade
Through those old woods a path was made.

And many men wound in and out
And dodged and turned and bent about
And uttered words of righteous wrath
Because 'twas such a crooked path;
But still they followed -- do not laugh --
The first migration of that calf,
And through this winding woody-way stalked
Because he wobbled when he walked.

This forest path became a lane
That bent and turned and turned again;
This crooked lane became a road,
Where many a poor horse with his load
toiled on beneath the burning sun,
And traveled some three miles in one.
And thus a century and a half
They trod the footsteps of that calf.

The years passed on in swiftness fleet,
The road became a village street;
And thus, before we were aware,
A city's crowded thoroughfare.
And soon the central street was this
Of a renowned metropolis;
And men two centuries and a half
Trod in the footsteps of that calf.

Each day a hundred thousand rout
Followed this zigzag calf about
And o'er his crooked journey went
The traffic of a continent.

A hundred thousand men were led
By one calf near three centuries dead.
They followed still his crooked way,
And lost one hundred years a day;
For thus such reverence is lent
To well-established precedent.

received in an email from my dad

Spending Wisely

Just found a great new page, Spending Wisely, that I plan to peruse in greater depth when I have a bit more time. I already found a great article about how much money we should be saving each month. In the article, the author talks about the notion that people should be putting 5% (or so) away per month and how that figure is not indicative of what could be happening. Her main point is that we should be putting away propotionately more money (not just actually more money, but a higher percentage) as our income levels rise.

I completely agree with her sentiment. Even in grad school, I intend to put money away into savings each month. I'll actually be making more in graduate school than I've ever made before, since I've never had a full-time year round job (then again, I have higher expenses too, but I don't intend to spend all the money that I'll be making each month). Even last summer, when I was living on my own and taking care of all my expenses, I managed to put away almost 50% of my paycheck each month. While I expect the percentage will be a bit lower here (mostly due to higher rent), I anticipate putting away quite a chunk.

Just because you make a certain amount of money doesn't mean that you should allow yourself to spend all that money each month. Saving is just about living within your means; it's about living below your means and continuing to do so even as your means increase.

The first of many busy weekends

Part of being a field biologist is spending time in the field. Lots and lots of time out in the woods/wetlands/grasslands/etc and away from cities. This is wonderful, and I knew it when I decided to pursue my PhD in EEB (Ecology & Evolutionary Biology).

This weekend, I'm headed up to the University of Michigan Biological Station for a department retreat. It should be fun; they've got hiking planned along with plenty of good hanging out with the department. I'll be away from my house, but at least this weekend should be fairly relaxing.

For the next six weeks after that, I'll be taking an intense field course at the ES George Reserve. This is the location of my future field work, so it's good that I'll be getting a handle on the site. However, I expect to be insanely busy, since I'll be doing something school related on all 7 days of the week with no days off. If I don't post much, blame it on the field work. That class will be done by the end of October, so the month of November shouldn't be too bad for me.

This school thing is good. Busy, and a definite adjustment . . . but ultimately good.

Bathroom Woes

I've started keeping my toothbrush in my room. Turns out that I just can't win with the bathroom schedule. Either one housemate or another has the same class schedule as me each day, and I'm not proactive enough to get into the bathroom before the shower starts. I'm going to have to work on this, obviously.

Go Blue!

Yesterday, I attended my first ever UM football game, and I had a wonderful time. I went by myself, since I bought a random ticket off of another student. I won't be able to go to another game until the end of October, since I have a weekend class for the first half of the semester, but I am excited to go again. Pictures and whatnot behind the cut -- LOTS of pictures.