Back On the Road

Epic Besties National Park Road Trip

Day One - July 10, 2012

The tribal trio has become a duo, but for the first time since summer 2008 (South African adventures) we are heading out into the wild to explore, adventure, and investigate. Over a year from conception to inception, but now Rachel (of Long Beach Lab fame) and I are in the giddy beginning of our journey.

Piles next to piles with piles is the way to get organized.

9 National Parks

1 National Monument

1 Ecological Society of America conference (Portland, OR)

40+ days of non-stop fun

and apparently, 1 revived science blog.

I suppose this trip will also serve as an experiment in the travel/science blog genre. Any particularly enthralling science we encounter at the parks is open game to be discussed. Our excitement is fresh and we have been trying to share our enthusiasm with everyone we encounter. The border patrol officer didn't seem as impressed as we hoped. If you're going to ask where we're going, I'll gladly tell you! But he just wanted to know if we were American (white). Don't think you got off easy and have avoided all of my thesis drama. It is still a live, wicked creature. I will most definitely be sharing my experiences of writing on the go, and my mobile thesis/blog writing set-up.

Packing the car. We can still see out all the windows!

Rachel will be providing guest blogs along the way. Have any eco-tips you want us to try out? Leave a comment! She also hopes to talk about different ecological concepts and backpacking tips. 

Question of the Day:

Where would you like to travel and what would you do once you arrive?

Dance Your Way to a Productive Friday Afternoon

It's 2:30 on a gorgeous Friday afternoon and the sunshine is calling your name. The mountain trails are begging to feel your feet. The cold beers are a-singin' your tune.

And you are still on campus at your desk trying to ignore the Call of the Weekend.

It's late-April. Graduation is fast approaching and you have papers, finals, homework, and if you are like me, a thesis to finish writing. It's hard to stay focused at times like these. Everyone else has left the building and you have committed to working for a few more hours.

Good on you for being so dedicated!

My cure for the mid-afternoon slump is simple: Dance away your un-productivity!

Whether you boogie a little bit in your chair, or take advantage of the empty office to really cut a rug, you'll feel energized and ready to attack the rest of the day.

Here's what I'm shaken' it to this Friday:

Friday Afternoon Productivity Mix from dr.awesome.bartley on 8tracks.

Question of The Day
What do you groove to when you are working hard?

Borrowed from PhD Comics: The Higgs Boson Explained

Yet another example of how I am constantly amazed by people's ability to distill down difficult topics and concepts and present them in an understandable and entertaining manner. Jorge Cham of Piled Higher and Deeper  intersperses comics inspired by life as a grad stud with interviews at various universities and research institutions. This week he traveled to CERN to interview Particle Physicist Daniel Whiteson about the Higgs Boson and how the LHC is attempting to find it.



The combination of visual and audio information presented in such a unique and entertaining way gets me excited to learn about a new topic. I recommend watching the video in full screen to get the entire experience.

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Don't forget to vote in this weeks poll. What sort of posts do you want to see on this blog? More like this one? Your opinion is important to me!