Squirrel!

Look how cute I am!

Ah, Michigan wildlife. As a birder, I am very excited for this spring season because, as I mentioned before, so many new birds! Since moving here, however, I've had some other wildlife moments apart from birding. Last fall during a hike in the woods, there were several white-tailed deer, which is very cool for me because in Oregon and Washington, we've got mostly mule deer. But really, one of the best things about Michigan are the black squirrels. I just thought they were cute, but Kevin decided to investigate. So, we learned (well, Kevin learned and told me) that they are a melanistic subgroup of grey squirrels. They are also more populous in the Midwest (thus why I'd never seen them before). But really, what's most important is that they are super cute.

Mississippi Flyway Zone

As I was reading this morning, I heard the rattle outside of a Flicker drilling into a piece of metal. It's an unmistakable sound, and something I just love to hear (and see - there is something hilarious about a bird drumming onto a metal telephone box or metal chimney just to make himself heard). This is exciting for me because it means birds are returning to the area, and what is even more exciting is that I live in the Mississippi Flyway Zone now so I can see a whole slew of new birds I've never seen before. There are excellent opportunities to do so along the shores of Lake Superior on the UP, and also closer to home for me along Lake Huron. I'm not sure I'll be able to get out too far this year, but I do have plans for some park walks near my home. And I may have to buy a new bird book - my Sibley guide is for Western North America which doesn't help much now that I'm in Michigan.

Tiny Air

It's wafer thin!

Before I started school (and had a decent job) I bought a new computer. I was advised to do so from someone who was a 4th year and has since graduated. She said, "If there is any tech you need, buy it before you start school because once you start, you will always be broke." I followed her advice, and bought a super stealth Macbook Air. It's tiny and wonderful. When I'm at home I hook it up to a large monitor so I'm not hunching over an 11 inch screen. Although not all the time, but sometimes I hook it up and it's so much easier. Anyway, I was thinking today that I always have my computer with me. It's weird. There are rarely any times when I do not have it on my person. I came up with a few times when I don't have it on me: when I'm grocery shopping, when I go for a walk in a park, uh, when I go to a movie. It took a while to think of times it's not in the same place as I am. This is weird to me. But, my entire academic life is on this tiny computer and it's very easy to carry around. So I guess, why not keep it with me all the time?

The Jungle

This is the small round table that I sit
next to, and perch my coffee on when
Jim and I get together to chat. This is just
a glimpse of the magical jungle.

Every other Wednesday I hop on a conference call for my assistantship. I meet in Jim's office for the call on campus. Some days I come to his office earlier if we need to go over anything, some days I just like going in earlier because I find so much joy in chatting with him. He is a wealth of knowledge, and in some ways has become a kind of mentor for me. He directs his advice to me not just as a graduate assistant, but also as a student, a professional, and to someone who has future goals. He knows what I'm interested in and is able to make connections for me, to people or to readings. In short, he's awesome. I will miss working with him because he is retiring at the end of the summer. But my future plans are for another blog post. (Don't worry, I have something in the hopper). Before I ever met Jim, the woman who was previously in my GA-ship was kind enough to email me and tell me a little about the work. I remember distinctly that she wrote "I left a folder of information with Jim. He should have it to give to you and hopefully he can find it. You will understand when you see his office." I didn't think much of it, until I walked into The Jungle. It is amazing and almost indescribable. Let's just say that when I scooch my wheeled chair (circa 1976) up to the phone on his desk so we can get on the conference call, I roll over several (and by several I mean 38) academic journals that are still in their plastic wrap. His desk is like a miracle of balance; there are several hundred pieces of paper stacked with books and dissertations in review, towering ever so precariously. In a world with gravity, they should fall. In Jim's office, they are just there. In perfect balance. Like Jenga. And every time I go into his office, nothing has moved, thus, nothing falls over. I am both in awe of his office, and also extremely comforted by it. I love every other Wednesday.

Brew Time

I have mentioned our lovely neighbor in a few posts. The day we were moving in, he came over and offered to help, thereby moving all of the heavy furniture with Kevin after we had just driven 4 hours, and I could take breather and move some of the boxes against the walls of our house. He then asked, "do you guys like beer?" because he is a home brewer, and ever since then, we have wanted to take advantage of his knowledge. The time has finally arrived. Home brewing is happening! It's more exciting for Kevin than it is for me, but it is pretty exciting for me to see how excited Kevin gets. (because, it's the little things). The first batch is at our neighbors house, and will get kegged. The second batch is in our second bedroom closet, simmering with hops. This batch will get put into bottles. And speaking of bottles, our kitchen has been somewhat over-run with bottles getting cleaned and prepped for beer. All very exciting. I write boring research papers, Kevin makes beer.

The Kit. The Kit at work. (I hear the bubbles are good.)

Thank You for Being My Audience

When I figure out how to do a 3-D
presentation, I'll let you all know.

One of the things I'm incredibly grateful for is being able to try out my speeches and presentations on an audience. And by audience, I mean Kevin. I really dislike being in front of people and making presentations, and I spend a lot of time preparing for these kinds of things. When I practice with Kevin, I even get nervous sometimes, and start to stutter a bit. But really what I value the most is that he listens and provides feedback, despite the fact that I know the subject material is kind of boring to him. Most of what I study in school is kind of a snooze-fest, I know. So I can't say enough how much I appreciate that he is my mini-audience.

Looks Like We Made It

Unbelievable. Spring has made it to Michigan. And it's not just evidenced by the calendar. The birds have been singing away more often, the snow is virtually gone, and temperatures are almost always above freezing. Living in the Midwest, this is truly a miracle. Transitioning to spring here bears much more weight than the NW, where seasons tend to blend into one another and slide between minimal degree changes for months. The change into spring in Michigan is obvious, and I am thankful to have this kind of sign. Soon, the bulbs we put in the backyard last year will tell us if they made it through the winter too.