Boozy Fruit

I'll admit that this project is 100% an experiment and I have no idea how they will turn out. My father has some grape vines that are doing splendid this year, so I picked a large batch and was thinking of ways I might be able to preserve them. I stumbled upon a "Brandy grapes" idea that I thought I would try.

Grapes!

I added the grapes to Mason Jars and decided to experiment. Some jars I added sugar to, and some jars no sugar. I added mulling spices to a couple jars. And one jar is full of spiced Rum instead of Brandy.

Brandy Grapes in Jars 

Grapes in Jars Before Brandy 

Even if they don't turn out I guess they will look pretty setting on my shelves for a while. According to the internet they will take around three months before they are "done". I think the worst-case scenario is that I filter the solids out and have flavored alcohol.

Vodka Pomegranates! 

While I was experimenting I decided to try some smaller jars of Vodka soaked Pomegranates. I sure hope these turn out well!

Neat Tree

I was walking through a nature hike loop when I found this area. It was full of the neatest looking trees! I don't know what makes these growth like this, but they sure give the trees personality! 

I want this one in my front yard!

They remind me of really old ladies with saggy bulgy bodies. They looked comfortable, like my grandma. If a tree was ever going to set you down and give you home made cookies, these trees would do it.

First Half Marathon

Today I ran a half marathon for the first time. That's 13.2 miles. I'm pretty impressed with myself. This was the Runaway Pumpkin Half Marathon which raised money to benefit ABC House. My plan is to train all winter, run another half marathon next spring, and hope to see improvement! 

I'm impressed with Matt and TJ because they finished too! 

Here are my stats!

Time: 2:02:41
Pace: 9:22
Place: 242/840
Female 30-34 Division Place: 22/88
Female Place: 111/588

Stormy Sky

I just thought that the look of this sky over the empty field was amazing. My camera didn't quite capture everything that was going on up there. But I think it conveys enough of the idea that it is still worth sharing.

Frogs at Finley

One day hiking out at Finley I found this beaver dam! The dam is the biggest one on this small creek, and it had a little pool behind it, where the rest of the creek is dry. These pictures are from a few weeks ago, when Corvallis hadn't had any rain for months. The pool is only an inch or so deep, and just chalked full of huge tadpoles. 

I fond the tadpole situation amusing and depressing, they were all clinging to life in a shrinking pool with no chance unless it rained soon. As amazing as it was to see so many in one spot, I really felt bad for the little guys too. I am happy to report that just a few days later the rains hit, and now they are all swimming around happy in a much bigger pool.  Now that I know these tadpoles lived to tell their tail, and the pictures aren't foreshadowing a mass pond extension I though I would share them with the world.  

The Beaver Dam

Tadpole picture #1

Tadpole picture #2 

Here is a video that gives you a better idea of just how shallow the water was. These guys literally had nowhere to go. 

Reflections

I took these pictures of trees reflected in a still puddle. They put me in a reflective mood, and in that kind of mood I like to search for quotes. These are the ones I found today that resonate with me in some way. 

“Did you ever wonder if the person in the puddle is real, and you're just a reflection of him?” 

― Bill Watterson

“Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.” 

― Søren Kierkegaard

“All truly great thoughts are conceived while walking.” 

― Friedrich Nietzsche, Twilight of the Idols

“There is music in words, and it can be heard you know, by thinking.” 

― E.L. Doctorow, Homer & Langley

“The girl in the mirror wasn't who I wanted to be and her life wasn't the one I wanted to have.” 

― Francesca Lia Block, Pink Smog

“A lake is a landscape's most beautiful and expressive feature. It is Earth's eye; looking into which the beholder measures the depth of his own nature.” 

― Henry David Thoreau, Walden

A Walk Through The Woods

Just a few quick pictures from a nature walk today at Finley. 

I love the look of this boardwalk heading off through the trees now that most of the leaves have fallen. 

 The snake is a Rubber Boa, which I had never seen or heard of before. The day was really cold so we were able to play with it a bit before encouraging it off the path into some grass where it would likely be safer. 

I also got to see an old bear den and an old elk carcass that had been brought down by some kind of predator! It was a pretty exciting day our there.  

Ig Nobel Prizes

It's Nobel Prize time again, and that always reminds me to check out the Ig Nobel prizes, a parody of the Nobel Prize. I haven't  read much about the real winners of the Nobel Prize yet, but I did look up the 2012 winners of the Ig Nobel prizes. The Ig Nobel prizes go to scientist for achievements that first make people laugh and then make them think.

I picked the three I liked the best to share here.

The prize in literature went to the US government accountability office for a report called "Actions Needed to Evaluate the Impact of Efforts to Estimate Coasts of Reports and Studies." As the Ig Nobel people said
"for issuing a report about reports about reports that recommends the preparation of a report about the report about reports about reports." Sounds like the government to me.

The prize in neuroscience went to five psychologists for the paper titled: Neural Correlates of Interspecies Perspective Taking in the Post-Mortem Atlantic Salmon: An Argument For Proper Multiple Comparisons Correction  for "demonstrating that brain researchers, by using complicated instruments and simple statistics, can see meaningful brain activity anywhere — even in a dead salmon." I have extensive experience with dead salmon, and also thanks to my statistics classes, know the importance of correcting for multiple comparisons. This paper was a smart way to point out how important those statistical corrections are when you are doing science.

My favorite prize was the anatomy prize. It went to a couple of researchers from the US and the Netherlands who published a paper with the gripping title: Faces and Behinds: Chimpanzee Sex Perception. They showed that 'chimpanzees can identify other chimpanzees individually from seeing photographs of their rear ends." I'm a sort of armchair anthropologist with a slight obsession with primates and human evolution so I found this article really thought provoking. I actually recommend reading this one, especially the introduction and discussion.

Finley National Wildlife Refuge

Finley National Wildlife Refuge is located just south of Corvallis. It is the location that the Field Studies class I am involved with travels to to conduct their field research. They mostly proved habitats for water birds, especially the Canadian Geese, but the area has been teaming with interesting wildlife each time we have visited.

I ended up getting swarmed by yellow jackets as I was taking this picture. Not the most serine view you can imagine.  

I'm excited about spending one day a week out there for the rest of the term, and am happily bringing my camera along to capture any memorable moments. I've also just learned I will have the same position through the winter, so I will be able to see the refuge change as the seasons change.

First Day Biking to School

For the past month I've been walking to work/school in the mornings. This was the first time I've lived close enough to my destination for self transportation since I was in college the first time (easily 7 years ago now, where does that time go!) I've been enjoying the experience immensely. The commute is two miles each direction and takes me just shy of half an hour walking. The time commitment didn't seem that harsh since I use to drive a hour each way, and I've been benefiting form the extra exercise.

With fall showing up, and the temperature dropping dramatically in the morning, walking has gotten a little less relaxing and so today I took the leap and jumped on my 'new' bike for the first time. I say 'new' because its about a year old. Last January TJ and I hung out in Eugene and got our bikes. At the time I was suffering for intense knee pain, and was worried I would not be able to start running seriously again. Since that time I've only ridden a hand full of times, and still find it a little awkward in traffic. Riding to campus this morning was a fun experience, and I know I'll get more comfortable with practice. I'm excited about being a bike commuter!

Moon Tree

Oregon State University has a moon tree on campus! I found out about this for the first time when I was here as an undergrad in 2003. I read an article on the NASA's Moon Tree Page about a the moon trees and trying to locate them, and was surprised to find that there was one right here in Corvallis. The article had a brief description about the location of the tree, and I had looked for the tree at the time. I wasn't ever sure I had found the right one, since it wasn't labeled (you would have thought it would have a label!) 

Well that was almost a decade ago! And things have changed since then! When I was telling Eric about the Moon Tree when he visited this week, he said he wanted to go see if he could find it too. Well it was much easier to be sure this time around, since the have a plaque and everything now! The reason for the new plaque is that OSU is dedicating theirs next week! 

Eric and I spend some taking pictures of each other in front of the tree. It was fun, but the light was all wrong, and ended up with a lot of the tree halo effect, which I thought was hilarious. 

Writing Prompt: I wish everyone loved......

I wish everyone loved...... Firefly as much as I did! It would never have gotten canceled!

I wish everyone loved .... vegetarian food as much as I do! Sometimes the part of a menu that I can select from is very small. 

I wish everyone loved .... being in nature. If everyone loved and respected nature, Earth would be a more beautiful, less stressed, calm, healthy, and less violent place to live. 

I wish everyone loved ... educating themselves. We would have more book, better computers, greener technology and less reality TV shows and useless celebrities. 

Oh and speaking of Issac Asimov.... I wish everyone loved science fiction as much as I do. For the purely selfish reason of there being more of it around for me to enjoy. 

Fish with cool fins

I assume almost everyone has heard of flying fish. But I'm not sure most people have an accurate mental picture of them. I know I didn't. So when I saw pictures of them today, I was a little surprised by how they actually looked. They looked so much more delicate than I imagined. I was surprised by how small they actually were, but amazed by how long they were able to glide along on the top of the water. It's quite a feat of biology how they are able to "fly" and then return to the water for anther "take off" without needing to completely submerge themselves again. Check out the video!

These fish just look too delicate!

They are actually quite small.

Loved this vintage picture! 

One fish that I don't think too many people have heard of is the Spiny Lump Sucker. This little guy: 

I think these fish resemble fake fish toys, but are really quite interesting. They have a modified fin on their underside that is an amazing suction cup. They can attach themselves to rocks to prevent the current form caring them off. Not strong swimmers, these guys.

Bottom view of the suction cup. 

Side view of a spiny lump sucker. 

They aren't winning any speed races or beauty contests but the Spiny Lump Sucker gets a A+ for having a name that is so fun to say. 

Yoga and Running

I have repeatedly read about the health befits of yaga. From increased flexibly to reduced stress levels and sleeping better. I have wanted to improve all of those things in  my own life, and have always hoped to include some yoga in my workout scheduled. I've really wanted to get into it for years, but its just too hard for me to focus when I am alone.  I have a hard time slowing down and yoga seems to be focused on slowing down. I've made it through a few podcasts, but my practice of yoga way pretty shady. I tended to give up after five minutes or three poses, or during the part where you are suppose to set still and breath.

So this term I've finally started taking a class offered through the university. Today is my fourth class, and I think I've finally beginning to "get" it.

I've started run again, and walking to class and home each day. Thanks to this exercise I'm finally loosing that "grad school" weight (*cough* 20 lbs). I've still been looking for some way to relax and reduce my stress levels. Running as done me a lot of good, but unfortunately also seems to decrease my flexibility, at least for a few days afterwords, as my muscles get sore and tight. I thought that yoga would provide a great opportunity for me to attempt both relaxation and increasing my flexibility at the same time.

Even though its only been two weeks of yoga, I'm really liking the effect that the combination of the two exercises is having on my body.

The running has been helping me loosing weigh, I had lost 4 lbs at my last weight in (that was three weeks ago) and am looking forward to my next weight in this weekend. 

I think I can see some results from yoga, and have began to make an effort to carry some of what I learn in class home with me. I've been practicing deep breathing as I fall asleep at night, and think it might be helping my insomnia. 

It turns out sitting still might not be too bad after all. 

Happy Birthday to my Baby Sister!

My little sister turns 26 today! It's been an amazing 26 years. We sure have had some good times! 

Green with sparkles

If you had to describe yourself as a color, which would you choose?
The first thought that came to my mind was "shiny green" but it turned out that the real answer was "green with sparkles."

I'm not at all sure why, possibly just because my favorite color is green, and I really like sparkles, especially the twinkly light ones. The sparkles, light twinkles are the absolute best thing about Christmas in my opinion. I think if I was represented visually as a color I would include sparkles.