Beginning of Classes! Oh wait SUCKAZZZ

That's right, I'm never ever coming back. At least for a few weeks, until I can't take it and come crash on the lounge couch (the custodial staff's worst nightmare v2.0). But seriously, I miss y'all.

Sorry I didn't post this summer. But I followed along and laughed. You guys are pretty good writers, ya hear?

I cooked with Ben Austin for IFP this summer. We averaged 25 people for two months. We went here. We purchased food as locally and sustainably as possible, which meant a lot of farmer's markets and roadside stands. Heidi joined up with us in Vegas, where one student gambled away $700.

Cooking outdoors, on the road, out of our truck was challenging, but fun. So was driving our 20-ft box truck for 10,000 miles on little Nat'l Park roads. But since we were out in the boonies, we rarely hit traffic - we had many more bison jams, elk jams, wolf jams, bear jams, etc., as they are called out in Montana/Wyoming. One time a bison just sat down on the road, and Ben and I had to just wait. In Nevada I swerved a full 15 passenger van at midnight going 50mph to avoid a deer. Needless to say, that woke everyone up. A few days later we picked up a Navajo hitchhiker named Phil Runningbear, carrying sacred eagle feathers to his grandchild's birth.

Check out Ben's, Heidi's, and my photos on my Flickr page.

Now I'm researching grad schools for Fall 2011 entry and have applied to internships starting in a few months.

Since then, when I haven't been sitting on my ass, Devin and I have been plotting adventures and bike tours. See y'all in Athens soon,

Love,

Mark

Hello again!

So before I alluded to my current job in Atlanta. I'm interning at the CDC in the Office of Sustainability, but I don't have any pictures of my work or the people there since we aren't allowed to take photos there because of terrorism concerns. Exciting, right? Not really. I plan to sneakily take some pictures at work soon, but until I have photos I won't bore you with my job.

More exciting is that on my way back from work, I found this (apologies for the weird glow)


OMG WTF!!! I thought. Never have I seen such large and brightly colored mushrooms! Are they perhaps sulphur shelves? But no, they have gills!
I was at the time on the phone with my Dad, who immediately found his mushroom book, since mine has disappeared and I wouldn't carry it to work anyway. After 15 tense minutes we concluded that these were Jack o' Lantern mushrooms (Omphalotus olearius). I am 100% sure that's what this is. How do I know? Because the name doesn't only come from its color. (This next photo is not mine)
ITS GILLS GLOW IN THE DARK. At first all I had was my phone to take photos with, and by the time I got an actual camera out there it was getting dark, so the coloring in the photos isn't quite right. Then on the way home after first seeing these beauties, I found oyster mushroom, but it was too old and buggy to eat. Sorry for unleashing all my excitement on you, but I got back to the apartment after this discovery, and found out that no one cared. Except that I was putting something poisonous in the fridge with their food. :'( I miss you guys.

In other new, I will probably get back to Athens on the 13th, so hopefully I won't miss any of the pre-semester festivities.

to finally be a tourist

Second to last weekend in Chicago was a great success! Some friends visited and so I took the opportunity to be a tourist.

The giant eye off Van Buren. Not sure what it's for.

Every respectable public library needs gargoyles

I just realized I still do not have photos of Millennium Park. Look for me rectifying this in the near future. 

Went to the Art Institute. Last time I was in Chicago (senior year of high school for a national academic team tournament nerdom whut whuuut), we went to the Art Institute. Since then, I've taken the basic survey art history courses and that greatly improves the art museum experience. Yeah yeah big surprise, but it's like my eyes have been switched out with a pair that can comprehend much more. Whoo education!

Yeah I did it:

Really cool architectural/design drawing

Like, how did I go to the Chicago Art Institute and not see this last time? 

The next day we hit up the Museum of Science and Industry, and though it is quite far away from the rest of the museums downtown, it was totally worth the trek. They had a cool green home exhibit that you could walk through. Though I will say (especially after Ecosa) that I was not very impressed with the house in terms of revolutionary green design. But, at least it's doing something for the general public. Plus it looks nice.

Hank is outraged by the comma splice:

A dress that can send text messages?

Shown in the exhibit on how awesome the future will be. If you're in Chicago in the next few months, I highly recommend checking out this exhibit at the MSI!

Simulation of how avalanches work. Which brings me to how much I LOVE science museums! Takes me back to childhood and science is so cool <3

That night we saw Inception in IMAX and it was superb. Hans Zimmer is a genius.

Rode the ferris wheel and watched the fireworks at Navy Pier...ultimate tourism. Though we did get to ride the wheel for free because someone gave us the last ride on her tickets. 

We also checked out Oak Park, a neighborhood where Frank Lloyd Wright lived and for which he  designed a bunch of houses. He is such a baller.  

THIS GUY

Not FLW, but KOLEA!

Some additional highlights not pictured:

• going to the beach
• realizing the bus we arrived with was the last bus out from the beach
• hitting up the many delicious eats in town that have been highlights of my stay
• eating crackers with assorted cheeses that my mother sent me via Amazon.com for my 21st birthday (thanks ma)
• failing at Chinese in Chinatown - you know once you fumble, the waiter switches to English only

This weekend is LOLLAPALOOZA and then I peace out of Chicago to fly back to Athens!!!!!!!! I miss you all so much, can't wait to see your shiny happy faces.

King of the Plethodon

I finished up my duties at Coweeta, stuffed my car with my belongings, and took off for home. However, I had one last task to accomplish before I could leave the mountains completely satisfied. Early in my stay, I had taken a trip to see the largest of the Plethodon (terrestrial, lungless salamanders), P. yonahlossee. The Yonahlossee Salamander is found only in the Unicoi Mountains that separate North Carolina from Tennessee, but although it has a tiny distribution, it can be amazingly abundant within that area. On my first trip, I saw a handful, but all escaped without good photographs. It left me with a bitter taste in my mouth, and I had to fix that.

So I brought a Terrapin with me this time. Rye Pale Ale, specifically. That fixed the taste, and after sunset, I headed out to find my prize. After missing the first Yonahlosee Salamander--who dove back into his burrow as I approached--I spotted this big female sitting out in the open. Beautiful.

Now I'm back home in the Hoosier State for a brief visit before driving to Athens. See y'all soon!

Love,

Todd

End of Days

So yesterday was my last day of work... and I totally forgot.

Here are some fotographs mmm

Veronica. Clearly she is flying, yeah? "... Never let go, Jack!"Paraponera - bullet ant. These guys are huge... I couldn't capture the size in a photograph.
Shrooms.
Um... had to set up a camera right by/on a river basically. Thanks agouti for caching a seed in the middle of a river.
IDK. Neat though.

I saw a deer a few days ago... it was standing less that 10 meters away and it didn't run off. That my friends was pretty amazing.

Walking palm.I should probably look up the names to a lot of the things I saw.
I had to walk these stairs...
every day.

2938394 down...

...115 to go. Leaf-litter traps, that is. Tomorrow's my last day at Coweeta, and as kind of a last hurrah today, I hiked the short trail up to a scenic overlook with one of Maerz's grad students, Brian. We huddled under rhododendron while a small storm passed over us and then crawled out onto a rocky outcrop, picked wild blueberries, and watched the sun peek out from the clouds and light up the valley. Amazing. And this Red-legged Salamander (Plethodon shermani) shared the view with us.

See y'all super, super soon.

Love,

Todd