Unexpected things and impromptu road trips

This morning I actually joined Buddy at the gym. I hate gyms, but this is really just a small section of the apartment office with a few machines. I waked on the treadmill while he did a few rotations on the weight machines. It actually wasn't that bad until I stepped off and my legs turned into jelly. But, I did have plenty of energy all day and enjoyed spending the extra little bit of time with the hubby. 

Afterwards we stopped by the office at SFA so I could pick up the credit card to get supplies. After shopping and getting everything on my list except for batteries, we headed home so I could try and figure out how I'm going to put my contraption together. 

My check I was expecting (not from work) came in and so I figured I would use my banks app to deposit my check since there is no branch in Nacogdoches. Of course there would be a maximum on the amount you can deposit at once and my check exceeded this amount (even though I called customer service and they said it should be ok). So, instead of working on my contraption we got in the car and headed to the closest branch in our area, Centerville. Centerville is a whopping hour and a half away, so we packed up the dog and headed out. 

I must admit I love Texas roads. The speed limits on 2 lane highways are 75 mph between towns. At first I thought they were crazy, but it makes traveling so much easier. It doesn't hurt that the scenery is also beautiful. 

So, not much got accomplished today. I didn't even cook since I forgot to get out some meat to thaw. But, all in all it was a pretty awesome day full of unexpected things. 

Where did this week go?

Monday started as relaxing as every other day has started since we've moved to Nacogdoches. Then during the bi-weekly meeting I realized I hadn't turned in any of my hours in the last two weeks and the bi-weekly pay period ended Saturday! I freaked out more than a little bit, but before I left Tuesday afternoon everything in that department was taken care of. I never had the pay period explained to me, so when I woke up Friday morning thinking my first pay check would be in the bank, I freaked out again when it was not. Apparently my first check wont come until the beginning of the next month. Thank goodness Fate was looking out for us and we still have enough in savings to get us till then. I'm still not sure of the exact date I'll be getting paid, but it shouldn't be a bad surprise either way. So, that was part of my frustration this week. 

Another frustration of this week is we are having difficulties getting our techs approved for hire. For some crazy reason they believe that it is not a good idea to hire someone from out of state. This really limits us on who we can hire. Students will still be in class when our field season starts and I don't know these people. I could theoretically hire someone in Texas that says they know how to identify birds by sight and sound and then they could leave me high and dry. Or I could hire someone I know is good, I know I can depend on, I know I can live with for 10 weeks, and I know wont drive me to murder. This was also an issue when I accepted my position and my official start date didn't begin until I moved to Texas. If it had begun sooner, my first frustration wouldn't have existed at all. We're hoping all they need to approve out of state hires is a Texas address. If that is so, Brittany can use mine and we are golden. 

On top of that, the second section of my project has been decided on insects. There are not many definite sampling techniques for this. So the majority of my week has been muddling through papers and finding out what other people have done previously. A lot has been written about how it is difficult to really determine the prey availability for birds and how it is best to narrow your search down to one species of insect or one species of bird, though even one species of bird may eat several species of insect. If I were doing a project on just one species of bird I could possibly look at stomach contents to narrow down what species of insects they may eat, but this could change between seasons, genders, and age classes of the bird. Plus, some of their food items may digest really really fast, so you may not get an accurate account of what they have eaten. However, I'm not looking at just one bird species. I'm trying to see if birds will use eucalyptus plantations and if they do what birds use them. I guess the insect part of my study will back up "why birds will use eucalyptus plantations". 

I would be lying if I didn't say it's kind of frustrating when no one else has really looked deeply at this subject anywhere. So I'm kind of flying by the seat of my pants. I've found a method of collecting insects that I liked, but I didn't like the way one study implemented it. They used foggers, but some flying insects were able to get away and some didn't fall into the collection nets they had placed. So, I've mentally created a way to keep all the insects in, fog an entire section with a tree in it, and collect insects from both the canopy and the mid-story while keeping them separate. Now, I need to get the materials and test this method out. On top of my invention, we'll also be doing pit fall traps for the insects to capture ground dwelling bugs. 

So, this week at "work" has consisted of long, long days of reading scientific papers about how difficult my research will be, beating my head upon a desk over ArcGIS, shopping online for materials needed for my redneck engineering bug collection contraption (I need to patent that name), and researching birds that live in eucalyptus forests in Australia to compare to birds I might find in our eucalyptus. The fun has only just begun. 

persimmon bread

bacon gouda and Texas star cheddar

beef bacon

Saturday we went to the farmer's market again, but this time they were having spring fling and there were a ton more vendors. I skipped out on the wine this time since it was $15 a bottle and beer is so much cheaper, but we did get a loaf of persimmon bread, 4 oz of bacon gouda, 4 oz of award winning Texas star cheddar, and a pound of beef bacon. The bread tastes like going to Grandma's house for the summer and she made that whole loaf just for you. It is amazing! I'm not a big cheese eater, but the gouda is very nice. The bacon is from a family owned farm who do not use antibiotics, no hormones, and claims their meat is 100% natural. Just look at that picture though! I can't wait to eat it. I've been saying I want to be more conscious about what I eat, where it comes from, and how the animals are handled before they become my food. This is a good way to do it and the prices are not bad at all for extremely low fat, high quality meat. Maybe once Buddy has found a job we can afford to get all of our meat from here. 

Afterwards we picked up the dog and headed out to the gardens to walk the trails for a little while. I'm so proud of Buddy this week. He has made himself a work out schedule and has been going to the sister apartment complex's gym every day except the day we did tai chi. He even walked 1.12 miles with me and Luna Saturday. It was a pretty day and I snapped a few pictures of our little adventure. 

I'm hoping this week will have less surprises this this past one. I'm not a fan of surprises at all (even the fun kind). I'm also thinking I'm going to have to take a few hours during the week to blog about what is going on here so that I don't word vomit all over the place. Apparently a lot can happen in just one week once you sit down to catalog it all. I hope you all have a great week as well and blessed be.

 

Spring break and spring changes

graduate student hair?

This week has been spring break for SFA, but not for me. I've been getting even more organized (how is that possible) and ready for Dr. Comer's bi-weekly lab meeting. I've got a running list of possible birds that could be sighted in the area, as much as I can possibly get done with the trial version of ArcMap, updated and improved my field schedule, and got a few more reference scientific papers that I've at least browsed. Oh! and most importantly I've found an awesome tech for field season (hi Brittany!!) who is willing to spend about 10 weeks with me in middle-of-nowhere Louisiana. I am super lucky to be able to work with someone I not only know I can work with, but I know she will be able to do the job and I know I can live with for a long period of time with out suffocating. I just need to hear back about where we go from here as far as paperwork and start time for being in the field so she can get all of her ducks in a row in time as well.
I've also changed the blog's background and colors to something a little more spring like since it's getting really nice outside.

Luna and her friend Apollo at the dog park

Other than working here and there on these things, this last week has been rather routine. Buddy's still looking for work, but we wake up around 8am, eat breakfast, I drink my coffee, watch the news, then do some work. Just about every day this week around 3 (the time my brain says "ENOUGH!") I would take Luna to the dog park to run around, make friends, and burn off some energy. Afterwards when we would get home she would pass out and pretty much not move the rest of the night. I must say, I love the dog park. I like the anonymity I have here, but I'm actually enjoying meeting new people. Everyone has a story to tell about Nacogdoches and advice to give about where to go and where not to go. Luna enjoys meeting new friends (human and canine alike) more than chasing the ball. In fact, when we get to the park she looses all interest in toys.

Luna loves giving kisses to her daddy

The wine that broke my corkscrew

Today we went to the local farmers market. I got a bottle of homemade Texas blackberry wine, which coincidentally just broke my corkscrew. The cork is way too big for the bottle. Oh well, just means I have to drink it faster. Buddy got to try out several different types of cheeses and we got a small green chili goat cheese. It was really nice, but I wish I brought more money had more money. There were some delicious smelling soaps, some awesome organic itch/burn relief that doubles as an insect repellent, and divine smelling home made breads. All of which I wish I could have brought home with me. Eh, a little at a time I suppose.

Georgie and Serenity "sharing" the sunny spot

And I can't forget the day I lost Georgie! Georgie has been feeling much better and has been putting some meat back on her poor little bones thanks to a week of eating canned food. Now she thinks she is entitled to canned food and not just her usual dry food. I'm weaning her by putting her dry food, a tiny bit of canned food, and some water in her dish. So far its working. However, since she is feeling better she is back up to her old shenanigans which includes trying to dash out the front door. This was ok when we lived in Dadeville because usually Luna herded her back to the bedroom door or  she would understand the danger outside of the bedroom once she saw the other two dogs in the house. One night this week she made a dash for it when I came in from walking Luna. I thought I heard a meow, but wasn't sure. So I started searching the apartment after giving Luna her treat. I shook the treat bag, called, meowed and only saw Serenity. I decided to open the door and look since I thought I heard a meow. She was right outside the door!!! I've never been so worried in my life! How could I let my cat out the door and not know?! What kind of kitty mommy am I? After loosing MeiMei when she got out by accident I couldn't take it again. So, of course I had to hold her tight and give her lots of kisses, all the things she hates. Maybe next time she'll associate going outside with horrible lovey stuff.

After all this adventure, who knows what the next week will hold :)

Now it's a research project

This past Thursday I spent the majority of a day trying to figure out a mock schedule for field season. What sites to visit when, how to shuffle them around so that they were not being visited at the same time each time, when/how to go back and forth between the interior and coastal sites. Then, right before bedtime, lightning struck my brain and I had the most awesome mock schedule I could fathom. I submitted all three possible schedules and felt really awesome about my decision.

The next afternoon I get an email back saying that the coastal areas were going to be cut from the project due to landowner issues, but it should make for a stronger study case for the interior sites. So, I get to start over on my schedule, but its not really like the schedule would have stuck anyway. After this summer's 6 weeks in practicum I've learned that schedules are more like guidelines. You try to stick to them, but something always happens whether it be bad weather or something just comes up that has be handled first. 

I'm both happy and bummed about this change. I'm happy because then we don't have to worry about finding field housing for the coastal sites and I don't have to worry about coastal birds. Coastal birds suck for a semi-amateur birder like myself. They sound and look so very similar. Sparrows are nothing compared to rails. I'm bummed because this just shrunk my project down into half. Granted, there were more interior sites than coastal so the coastal part may have been weak anyway. So, maybe we just saved me a ton of unnecessary field work.  

I guess since the interior sites' landowners are more cooperative I should be able to do some field work in the winter too and still have time to do another side project to add to my thesis. Everything was going so smoothly, too smoothly in fact, that now that there are a few speed bumps it officially feels like a research project. 

First week

I've had a few people ask about my first day at "work" and my "work hours" and I can't help but chuckle. Right now I'm in the beginning stages of my graduate research project, which means I'm putting together a list of equipment I will need, trying to guess at a schedule for field season (fair weather days are not very predictable), and doing some literature research.  I pretty much can do this all from my apartment, but I go to campus a few hours every day just in case something comes to mind that I need to ask someone else about and so I'm there in person "working".

Monday I did get to meet my major professor, make sure I was good to go on payroll, get keys to an "office" and the building, get certified to drive a university vehicle, and meet other graduate students. I say "office" because right now there is no office space available at this moment. Once field season is over there should be an actual spot for me to put down as my own for the duration of graduate school. Campus at SFA is much smaller than Auburn's, but the forestry school has the same "small town" vibe to it. Everyone seems very nice and super helpful! 

 This is just one of the many mounted animals in the building. This guy stares me down when I go downstairs to take a break from staring at scientific journals and have a quick smoke.

 This is my "office space" for now. It's inside the wildlife specimen storage room. I can't help but get a feeling like I'm being watched.

More specimens and this is only half the room! 

Wednesday Dr. Comer and I took a trip through deep east Texas (apparently there is a difference) into Merryville, Louisiana to look at some of the sites we will be using during field season with the professor from LSU that is heading the vegetation portion of the study and the head forester who helps manage the sites. The forester happens to also be an Auburn grad and an Alabama fan! That adds one more to the club. (Yes, we do exist) It was pretty amazing to see how fast eucalyptus grows.

Part of a eucalyptus plantation that has two years of growth! It was already over head height! 

The species of eucalyptus they have chosen to grow is supposed to be the most cold tolerant and hardy; however, this has been the coldest winter the south has seen in about 30 so odd years. These trees are leaning a bit from cold damage, but we were told they were touching the ground the day before. Hopefully it'll start getting warmer and these guys will spring back up some more. 

Other than this, our first week in Texas has been pretty uneventful, except for the kitty cold fiasco. It's not really a fiasco, but I have been worried about my poor Georgiepuss. She really hasn't been eating but has been drinking a ton of water and has been sneezing constantly. I even bought canned cat food today just to get her to eat something. Hopefully she'll start feeling better soon. 

While I'm here too I just have to say, beer prices and margaritas are awesome here in Texas!

This is in Kroger! You can make your own six pack for $7!! Or you can get a six pack of 16 oz PBR for $6!

 Last night we celebrated surviving our first week with Mexican food right here in Texas. It was pretty damn good. So good in fact I had to take an acid reducer as soon as we walked in our door at home. This margarita beat the pants off of the ones I used to get at Durango's, who have pretty awesome margaritas. I was going to complain about the size of the drink until I took a sip out of the straw. So yummy!! 

So here's to a week of being Texas residents! I can't wait to see what the rest of our journey may bring. 

First days in Texas

Just this time last week we were crossing the Mississippi River into Louisiana. I know it has only been a week, but it seems like longer than that. Last Friday was the longest day ever known to man. Not only because we were awake at midnight, crossed two state lines, and dealt with crazed animals wondering what in the hell was going on, but because we unloaded half a truck full of our junk.

When we got here I was so pumped to put all of our things into our new place that I didn't remember we hadn't ate since oh about 10:30 that morning or that we hadn't really had anything to drink other than sipping on power aide so we wouldn't have to stop fifteen million times for my infant like bladder. So we pretty much pulled up, got our keys, gave the apartment a quick once over and then struggled getting as much as we could as fast as we could up the steep stairs into our apartment.

The folks at Budget were so kind to tell us that the hand truck we PREORDERED was not available once we went to pick up the truck. "We don't have that much stuff. We can do it." That's what I said Thursday. Friday afternoon however it was "I'm going to DIE! How do we have so much stuff?! We are never going to finish!" Since we also did not have a phone book yet I had no idea who to call or what their number would be in order to find a hand truck. Thank the heavens for smart phones and yellowpages.com. Within 20 minutes I had found a place with hand trucks for rent and sympathy for a poor Alabama girl moving all of her and her husband's worldly possessions into an upstairs apartment. While Buddy went to get the hand truck I proceeded to roll boxes of clothing and non-breakable items UP the stairs.

Once Buddy got back and we took a few more trips up the stairs I started to get hangry/emotional/irritable. So, we decided just to get to the bed and move it upstairs and call it a day. We tried to slide the mattress up the stair rails, but it started to bunch in the middle. I climbed the stairs on hands and knees underneath the mattress to get to the other side and pull that behemoth up. Once the box springs and mattress were inside the door we both gave up. Then I had to go to Walmart.

Anyone who knows me knows my hatred for Walmart, but I went sweaty, nasty, hungry, emotional and all. Luckily I knew Walmart was just right up the road from the apartments. I wouldn't have gone if we didn't need a shower curtain in order to take a shower. Then I also remembered, I have no clue where our towels or wash cloths are packed either. We also needed locks for the truck and car dolly (of course Budget didn't provide those either).  Then I made the mistake of calling my dad while there. Let me sum up my emotional state at this point - I'm trying to keep it real and honest here - I started my period two weeks early the morning of the move while all of my feminine products were packed away in some random ass box and once we got to the apartment it really hit me how far away we were from our loved ones and I felt so lonely and guilty for this move being solely about myself and my career. So while on the phone with my Dad in Walmart I'm choking back tears. After about 45 minutes of scouring Walmart for anything we might need the next day (drinks, ibuprofen, etc.) I finally think I'm done. Nope, hunger...

Buddy wanted Subway and I thought I had seen one on University when we missed our turn into the apartment complex. So, I ride down University still nasty, sweaty, hungry, and extremely emotional. I get to a point where I think I have passed Subway so pick a street with a red light to turn around. What do I see once I get back to University to head back in my previous direction? Subway on the other side of the red light where I JUST turned around!

First Texas sunset

The rest of the night was uneventful unless you count the amazing 11 hours of sleep we got. We hit the moving truck the next day with a new found purpose. We were going to get all the heavy stuff in first and take breaks in between all the trips back up the stairs. This actually worked well until we got to the couch. That heavy beast almost broke us. We decided to get the couch up stairs and break for lunch. This couch is older, and both ends recline so seriously it is heavy. I could push it from the back pretty decently so I told Buddy if he would lift it up the stairs one stair at a time I would push that bitch up. Half way up Buddy said that if the couch goes into the apartment then there was no quitting, I HAD to get my master's degree and maybe even my PhD while we were here. I have no intention of backing out or down, so master's degree here I come cause that couch is in our living room!

We tried out a restaurant called Raising Cane's for lunch and it was pretty good. It is no Zaxby's, but it tastes kinda like a cross between Jim Bob's and Guthries from back home with barbeque bread instead of texas toast. It only took us about 2 hours after lunch to finish unloading the truck, although there are a few smaller pieces still in the car that we are supposed to be unloading little by little and haven't started yet. But we were able to take the moving truck and car dolly back early. To celebrate we went to a nice sit down restaurant called Clear Springs which the guy at the truck place recommended. You know the saying, "everything is bigger in Texas"? Well, it's correct. We got a small order of onion rings as an appetizer and I was almost full by the time our food came out. Buddy's meal came with a small side salad. Usually that means just a small bowl of lettuce, cheese, and maybe some tomatoes right? Wrong. This thing was the size of a large side salad back home. I had fried oysters and coconut shrimp which came with fries, coleslaw, and beans. I ate all my slaw and meat, 1 french fry, and a couple of bites of my beans and had no more room in my belly for anything more! It was a little pricey ($50 for the two of us) but well worth it in celebration of unloading the truck.

This closet is so large! It's full now, but this was what it looked like when we got all the big stuff in.

 This is our view from the porch/balcony/patio thing. Pretty much looks just like Alabama. There is a creek that runs out beyond that retaining wall and it is relaxing to listen to while sitting out there.

Luna enjoys going outside on the patio with me. She didn't poop for almost 2 whole days!! We were starting to get worried, but her nerves work opposite of mine I guess.

We used the dresser that mirror goes to in the living room as a tv stand/entertainment center. But, it fits in nicely over there now. Don't worry there are sheets and pillowcases on the bed now!

The best picture of all: an empty moving truck!!

Continuing the journey (from Mississippi to Texas)

Once inside the Mississippi state line we had to stop at our first weigh station. I guess since 9/11 the rules have changed that even moving trucks must go through all weigh stations. This was totally new to me. I know that sounds so cheesy, but it was a new experience for me.

The sun started coming up not long after we got into Mississippi and the subtle colors were just gorgeous.

Not long after the oohs and ahhhs over finally being able to see daylight I got to have another first experience, motion sickness. I don't know if it is because I was bent sideways trying to find a decent station on the radio combined with the horrible Mississippi roads which included bumps and hills that make your stomach hit the back of your throat, but I was white knuckling the truck door handle while making all kinds of moaning and groaning sounds. All that I could manage to say coherently was "Get me out of Mississippi."  I will say though, when I wasn't feeling like retching my guts up I was marveling over the nicely managed pines on the side of I-20. 

Next up was Louisiana. We had to stop for gas right inside the Louisiana line before we made it to the welcome center. If I were an alcoholic that gas station would have been a mirage! It was part gas station, part liquor store, and part casino. There were liquor bottles everywhere! In Alabama we put our liquor in an area that is strictly guarded to make sure no one under age can get to it. Not in this place! Although the inside of this gas station was hustling and bustling, it was still kinda sketchy, so we went on to the welcome center where Buddy was again my willing camera man. 

After complaining about the Mississippi part of I-20 I was informed that Louisiana is just as bad. However, I was pleasantly surprised and it wasn't too bad until around Shreveport. Where Mississippi looked like a more well managed Alabama, Louisiana was mostly swampy bottomland hardwood and I was expecting an alligator to walk out onto the interstate at any minute. We grabbed lunch at a Love's truck stop along the way and kept hauling down I-20 towards Texas. Although Shreveport was a little rough and made some of the lingering Mississippi sickness come trickling back, it had some specks of eye candy like this:

Not long after we got through Shreveport we got off of I-20 and onto a highway, so I was unable to get a picture with a welcome to Texas sign. However, I was able to have another first experience: 75 miles an hour on a 2 lane highway! What, you say? Yes! 75 miles an hour on a 2 lane! Apparently this is not unusual on Texas highways and although it kind of scared me at first, I'm beginning to like it. 

So, we started our journey to east Texas at 130 am and made it to our new apartment in Nacogdoches at around 130 pm. I will try to recap our unloading and first few days in Nac later. For now, blessed be. 

From Alabama to Mississppi

We don't have internet yet, so I am having to make this post from my phone. I wanted to get everything up to date though, so please bear with me. Because there is so much I want to write, I'm going to have to break our journey into a few installments.

Thursday morning we arrived at the budget truck rental place about 45 minutes before they opened. I was such a nervous wreck I thought I was going to throw up in their parking lot. After we got the truck and put the car on the dolly I felt much better and we headed to my dad's to load up stuff we had been storing their for two years. It actually didn't take as long as I thought it would and we were done in time for lunch with Grandma one more time. 

We then loaded everything that had been packed in Dadeville. Buddy's mom cried before it was even dinner time, but we made it through dinner with out any more tears. 

We went to bed at 7 so that we would get plenty of sleep before out alarms went off at 2 am. However we were both awake at midnight. We decided that if one or both of us was not asleep by 1 then we would get up and start getting ready to go. Needless to say, we got a very early start. 

At the beginning of the week I decided to out some if my skills I gained with my degree to use.  So I set out the at carrier and prebaited it with catnip. This was to help the cats acclimate to the carrier so they wouldn't be afraid of it when I had to shove them in. What do you know, it freaking worked!! I put some treats in when I wanted them to get in and they went right in with no fuss!! 

With the cats being the last to be loaded, we said our last tearful good-byes and hit the road for our big adventure. 

We decided to take 280 to Birmingham to get to I-20 to stay ahead of schedule and not hit curvy deer infested roads. There wasn't much to do but sing along with the radio since it was still dark and nothing really to see. 

Things didn't start getting really fun until we were almost to Mississippi. Before we made it we came upon an eighteen wheeler that had dropped his cargo that was on fire! That was crazy scary. We stopped for gas before the state line and I got in the car with the cats to let them walk around, use the make shift litter box, drink, and let me clean the carrier. No surprise, Serenity threw up everywhere. Poor things had puke on their feet and tails and Serentiy still had it on her face. It was pitiful at the time. and funny now because Georgie kept trying to help Serenity clean herself up, but Serenity would just pace and cry. 

We got to Mississippi before the sun came up, but the hubs was able to snap this picture.

Just got in the state and already breaking rules! This was as far as we went though at the rest area. It was cold, windy, and we were ready to be on our way. Not to mention there was a cattle truck parked in the same parking lot and the smell was god-awful, so we loaded back in and headed towards Louisiana. More to come on our journey to east Texas later.