Blog

on sharing

I’m convinced people in their late teens and early 20’s do not know how to share. At least those who go to private universities in the general South Florida region.

We forget that there’s so many things we’re sharing.

We share doors. Why not hold one open for the next person?

We share tables. Maybe you’d consider cleaning up after yourself?

We share walkways. Is it important that you ride your bike on these during the rush between class, expecting the pedestrians to part the sea for you? Your tires can tread grass.

Most importantly, we share space. We all share the sphere of sound. Why do you feel entitled to tear through the quiet? What gives you the right to command the audible atmosphere? Walls are paper thin, and your shouts pollute the serenity others should enjoy in the late hours of night or early morning.

We are all sharing, here. Balance your give and your take.

thanks

Thank you Amy, for being my first friend on the bus to school in Kindergarten. I was scared, and you were so friendly.

Thank you Mr. Scharf, for calling me a “chip off the old block”. You made me feel as cool as my Dad. My Dad is really cool. You also showed me that science is extraordinary. Without you, 5th grade would have been just like any other year in elementary school.

Thank you Mr. Bryan, for convincing me I was an artist. And for letting me stay after school to paint, even though I wasn’t enrolled in Art classes.

Thank you Brittney, for putting up with my teenage years. I was a brat to you, and you loved me anyway.

Thank you Eric, for teaching me about boys. And relationships. And love. And growing up.

Thank you Diana. You were honestly, genuinely and unequivocally there for me when I needed a friend. Your positivity and wonderful personality always help me see the brighter side.

Thank you San Francisco. You showed me a GREAT time. You are beautiful and full of energy. I miss you, and I’ll see you soon.

Thank you Alaska. You have raw beauty. You are a wonder to behold. You offered me whales… breaching whales. For that I can’t thank you enough.

Thank you Miami. You are who you are. No excuses. No apologies. You’ve helped me figure out what I want, and most certainly what I don’t. You also helped me find the greatest person I’ve ever known.

Thank you Pete. For everything.

Thank you Grandpa, for showing me the strength you can summon to live each day with a smile, after the one you love most has gone.

Thank you Dad, for always understanding. And for loving me anyway.

Thank you Mom, for always knowing what’s best, and for always knowing how to say it.

it’s not just rocks.

Think about Geology. What immediately comes to mind? Rocks. Cold, hard, lame chunks of stone. Crumbs of the past.

Ross Gellar didn’t help much – his Geology Rocks notebook stickers have permanently stuck to the general public (who didn’t watch Friends?). I can’t personally blame Ross Gellar, and I know it. It’s an ingrained idea, and a beacon of nerdiness.

Geology might actually be one of the most important study tracks we humans have going for us. It’s no secret that humans have taken their merry time gobbling up natural resources and spewing out a whole bunch of pollution in the skies and waters. You don’t need me to tell you how bad that is for the Earth – I’m sure you’ve heard all the tree-hugging mumbo-jumbo before (not to knock the tree huggers – I’ve dabbled in the hugging of natural phenomena as well).

Looking back on people’s use and abuse of the Earth had gained some clout in the past few decades thanks to the media’s carnival with this big scary doom-fueled Global Warming idea. Aside from making television network execs very very rich, the hoopla surrounding the threat and actuality of global warming has indeed woken up the rest of the world. People have the power to seriously affect the environment around them.

The beautiful thing: we can use our powers for good instead of evil. Sure, we’ve (quite extensively) demonstrated our capacity to destroy habitats and augment the march of global temperature, but what people don’t always remember is that each and every one of us is capable of planting a tree, choosing paper over plastic, or signing a petition. Each and every one of us is capable of helping the Earth get some things sorted out.

That’s where geology comes in. Geology, in short, is the study of the Earth; rocks included. Geologists figure out what went wrong, and what we can do to make things right (or as close to right as they’re gonna get). Geology concerns the awesome, as well: earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tornadoes and hurricanes are front and center in the study of geological processes. The rock part helps us determine mineral structures, which clue us in on the locations of water supply, oil, faults, and tons of mineral resources. Rocks explain how our landscapes were formed, and let us know if we’re building or digging where we really shouldn’t be.

Call geology the nerd’s science all you want. (Or call science nerdy in general.) There are a heck of a lot of stats and processes and field work involved. But when you’re learning how lightning strikes, or how volcanoes form tropical islands (see Hawaii), you begin to realize how awesome the Earth really is. (Fun Fact: glaciers formed my home, Long Island.) When you sit back and take a look at it, you begin to realize why ancient civilizations worshipped gods of Earthly processes – without explanation, floods, earthquakes, and eruptions are unstoppable forces, so beautifully powerful they must be divine. I bet those ancient civilizations knew there was more to Earth than rocks.

why I hate Rachael Ray

That’s right I said it. I hate, hate, HATE Rachael Ray.

But why Cassie? She’s adorable! Have you no heart?! You of all people should LOVE Rach and her 30 minute dinners! Bite your tongue!

You can shame me all you want, but I will never change my opinion of her.

Now, listen. I’ll be the first to admit that she might be a marketing genius, but come on. So are the big tobacco companies. That doesn’t make either of the two any less evil.

After all, that’s exactly what Rachael Ray is. Evil. She may even be the definition of evil. I’m not sure. One thing I AM sure of is this: NO ONE can be happy-go-lucky as often and as theatrically as Rachael Ray can. She has the haunting ability to flash a toothy grin, framed with chipmunk cheeks and squeal something along the lines of “Yum-o!! Good to go delish!!”, whilst cooking up impossibly delicious treats in under 30 minutes.

My comrades, I ask you this: If you were the definition of EVIL, how would you disguise yourself as to throw off the entire population in order to implement your wretched scheme for world domination right under their noses?

You would, of course, adorn yourself with a flaming cloak made of purity and whole-heartedness and PERK!

Don’t you see what she’s doing? She’s blinded you with her flaming cloak! Instead of taking note of her bizarre actions that might parallel that of a league of communist takeover enthusiasts, you are standing in line at the local Barnes and Noble with a copy of “30 Minute GET REAL meals” waiting for your personalized autograph and a picture with this chipper chipmunk.

You’d be dissapointed, though.

Oh what, you didn’t know? Rachael Ray doesn’t take pictures with fans. Oh no. And personalized autographs? Honey, unless you have the newest edition of “Just In Time”, her newest book, you have another thing comin’. And that thing is most likely certain death. Or an umbrella to the face courtesy of Britney Spears. Sometimes I don’t know whats worse.

Here is an excerpt from the Food section of this morning’s News and Observer.


Attention, Rachael Ray fans.
If you are planning to go to your favorite happy-go-lucky TV cook’s book signing at the Barnes & Noble in Cary next month, you must obey the rules. There are quite a few.

1. Ray will sign books for only 375 people. To be one of the chosen, you must go to the bookstore on Dec 7 starting at 8am to get a wristband that will allow you admission for that night’s book signing.

2. You cannot send a friend to get a wristband for you.

3. The first 375 people who show up — and no others — will get wristbands.

4. Ray will personalize only copies of “Just in Time,” her new book, and she will sign as many copies of it as you want.

5. Don’t plan on bringing your entire Rachael Ray library to be autographed. Ray will sign but not personalize only the cover of the current issue of her magazine, and these four books: “Rachael Ray 2, 4, 6, 8″ “Rachael Ray 365-No Repeats” “Rachael Ray’s 30-minute Get Real Meals” and “Cooking Rocks.”

6. She will not sign memorabilia.

7. No, you cannot have your picture taken with Ray.

8. No, she will not pose for photos.

9. You can take her photo only while you are standing in line. You cannot take photos at the table.

If you can follow these rules, line up for your wristbands at the bookstore at 760 SE Maynard Road in Cary. Wristband holders should be at the store by 6pm for lineup instructions for the signing.

Clearly and without question, Rachael Ray is evil. Plus, she ain’t even that good a cook. She probably has ghost cookers. See how I did that? Like ghost writers… but in the kitchen.

I have hope that our nation as a people will come to realize this slick fiddle of fiddle-faddlers for who she truly is. (Evil.) Only then can we gather as a united force and banish her from our food networks for good! I love America, therefore I hate Rachael Ray.

the list

Birding is a new hobby of mine, thanks to Pete. I keep a running list of the birds I’ve seen and where I’ve seen them. If the mood strikes, you can take a look at some of my bird photographs and relive the experience.

  1. red-throated loon (west babylon)
  2. common loon (jones beach)
  3. red-necked grebe (montauk)
  4. horned grebe (montauk)
  5. eared grebe (san francisco marina)
  6. pied-billed grebe (wakotahatchee)
  7. least grebe (yamoto scrub natural area, palm beach county)
  8. western grebe (san francisco)
  9. clark’s grebe (san francisco)
  10. audubon’s shearwater (south beach)
  11. brown pelican (key west)
  12. double-crested cormorant (campus)
  13. pelagic cormorant (san francisco bay)
  14. brandt’s cormorant (alcatraz)
  15. anhinga (loxahatchee)
  16. northern gannet (jones beach)
  17. great blue heron (campus)
  18. great egret (campus)
  19. snowy egret (campus)
  20. tri-colored heron (loxahatchee)
  21. little blue heron (campus)
  22. cattle egret (campus)
  23. green heron (campus)
  24. black-crowned night heron (camman’s pond)
  25. white ibis (campus)
  26. glossy ibis (loxahatchee)
  27. wood stork (wakotahatchee)
  28. mute swan (west babylon)
  29. canada goose (west babylon)
  30. brant (west babylon)
  31. snow goose (jones beach)
  32. mallard (west babylon)
  33. mottled duck (loxahatchee)
  34. american black duck (argyle park)
  35. northern pintailĀ  (argyle park)
  36. american wigeon (massapequa lake)
  37. eurasian wigeon (massapequa lake)
  38. northern shoveler (west babylon)
  39. blue-winged teal (wakotahatchee)
  40. green-winged teal (wakotahatchee)
  41. canvasback (west islip)
  42. redhead (west islip)
  43. ring-necked duck (west islip)
  44. greater scaup (oceanside marine nature study area)
  45. lesser scaup (argyle park)
  46. common eider (coast guard station, west end jones beach)
  47. king eider (jetty at west end, jones beach)
  48. long-tailed duck (jones beach)
  49. surf scoter (jones beach)
  50. black scoter (montauk)
  51. white-winged scoter (montauk)
  52. common goldeneye (venetian shores)
  53. bufflehead (jones beach)
  54. hooded merganser (west babylon)
  55. common merganser (massapequa)
  56. red-breasted merganser (jones beach)
  57. ruddy duck (west islip)
  58. turkey vulture (campus)
  59. black vulture (campus)
  60. northern harrier (jones beach)
  61. sharp-shinned hawk (new york)
  62. cooper’s hawk (campus)
  63. red-shouldered hawk (campus)
  64. short-tailed hawk (key west)
  65. red-tailed hawk (san francisco)
  66. bald eagle (cape canaveral)
  67. osprey (cape canaveral)
  68. american kestrel (homestead)
  69. wild turkey (upstate ny)
  70. purple gallinule (loxahatchee)
  71. common moorhen (campus)
  72. american coot (campus)
  73. killdeer (loxahatchee)
  74. black oystercatcher (san francisco)
  75. willet (san francisco)
  76. spotted sandpiper (campus)
  77. ruddy turnstone (jones beach)
  78. black turnstone (san francisco)
  79. wandering tattler (san francisco)
  80. surfbird (san francisco)
  81. purple sandpiper (jones beach)
  82. sanderling (jones beach)
  83. dunlin (jones beach)
  84. bonaparte’s gull (oceanside marine nature study area)
  85. laughing gull (west babylon)
  86. mew gull (san francisco)
  87. ring-billed gull (west babylon)
  88. herring gull (west babylon)
  89. glaucous-winged gull (san francisco)
  90. western gull (san francisco)
  91. heerman’s gull (san francisco)
  92. royal tern (key west)
  93. mourning dove (campus)
  94. eurasian collard dove (AD Barnes park)
  95. monk parakeet (campus)
  96. snowy owl (jones beach)
  97. great horned owl (dump marsh)
  98. lesser nighthawk (dump marsh)
  99. anna’s hummingbird (san francisco)
  100. ruby-throated hummingbird (campus arboretum)
  101. allen’s hummingbird (san francisco)
  102. belted kingfisher (campus)
  103. red-bellied woodpecker (prospect park)
  104. yellow-bellied sapsucker (prospect park)
  105. downy woodpecker (west babylon)
  106. hairy woodpecker (gardiner park)
  107. northern flicker (new york)
  108. black phoebe (san francisco)
  109. eastern phoebe (loxahatchee)
  110. say’s phoebe (san francisco golden gate park)
  111. eastern kingbird
  112. western kingbird (homestead)
  113. scissor-tailed flycatcher (homestead)
  114. loggerhead shrike (loxahatchee)
  115. red-eyed vireo (campus)
  116. white-eyed vireo (loxahatchee)
  117. blue-headed vireo (loxahatchee)
  118. steller’s jay (san francisco golden gate park)
  119. blue jay (west babylon)
  120. western scrub-jay (san francisco golden gate park)
  121. florida scrub-jay (cape canaveral meritt island)
  122. common raven (san francisco golden gate park)
  123. american crow (west babylon)
  124. fish crow (lucky hammock)
  125. horned lark (jones beach west end)
  126. tree swallow (jones beach)
  127. barn swallow (campus)
  128. tufted titmouse (central park)
  129. black-capped chickadee (central park)
  130. chestnut-backed chickadee (san francisco golden gate park)
  131. bushtit (san francisco golden gate park)
  132. red-breasted nuthatch (prospect park)
  133. white-breasted nuthatch (west babylon)
  134. pygmy nuthatch (san francisco golden gate park)
  135. brown creeper (oceanside)
  136. winter wren (san francisco cliff house coastal area)
  137. golden-crowned kinglet (massapequa)
  138. ruby-crowned kinglet (san francisco)
  139. blue-gray gnatcatcher (campus)
  140. american robin (west babylon)
  141. hermit thrush (central park)
  142. northern mockingbird (west babylon)
  143. european starling (west babylon)
  144. common myna (coral gables)
  145. cedar waxwing (AD Barnes)
  146. northern parula (campus)
  147. orange-crowned warbler (jones beach west end)
  148. black-throated blue warbler (campus arboretum)
  149. yellow-rumped warbler (cape canaveral)
  150. townsend’s warbler (san francisco golden gate park)
  151. black-throated green warbler (AD Barnes)
  152. prairie warbler (campus)
  153. palm warbler (campus)
  154. pine warbler (AD Barnes)
  155. yellow-throated warbler (campus)
  156. black-and-white warbler (campus)
  157. american redstart (campus)
  158. ovenbird (AD Barnes)
  159. common yellowthroat (campus)
  160. wilson’s warbler (AD Barnes)
  161. summer tanager (campus)
  162. northern cardinal (west babylon)
  163. eastern towhee (central park)
  164. california towhee (san francisco)
  165. savannah sparrow (lucky hammock)
  166. golden-crowned sparrow (san francisco)
  167. white-throated sparrow (central park)
  168. white-crowned sparrow (san francisco)
  169. fox sparrow (central park)
  170. song sparrow (west babylon)
  171. swamp sparrow (gardiner park)
  172. dark-eyed junco (san francisco)
  173. snow bunting (jones beach west end)
  174. eastern meadowlark (homestead)
  175. brown-headed cowbird (oceanside marine nature study area)
  176. red-winged blackbird (oceanside marine nature study area)
  177. brewer’s blackbird (san francisco)
  178. rusty blackbird (central park)
  179. boat-tailed grackle (campus)
  180. spot-breasted oriole (campus)
  181. purple finch (prospect park)
  182. house finch (prospect park)
  183. pine siskin (central park)
  184. lesser goldfinch (san francisco fort mason)
  185. american goldfinch (central park)
  186. wilson’s snipe (loxahatchee)
  187. brown-crested flycatcher (matheson hammock)
  188. swallow-tailed kite (matheson hammock)
  189. white-winged parakeet (campus)
  190. scarlet tanager (matheson hammock 4.17)
  191. blackpoll warbler (matheson hammock 4.17)
  192. hooded warbler (matheson hammock 4.17)
  193. least tern (campus 4.17)
  194. burrowing owl (kendall/tamiami airport 4.18)
  195. white-crowned pigeon (opposite kendall baptist hospital 4.18)
  196. limpkin (shark valley, everglades 4.18)
  197. pileated woodpecker (everglades 4.18)
  198. great-crested flycatcher (everglades 4.18)
  199. purple martin (matheson hammock 4.18)
  200. northern waterthrush (campus 4.19)
  201. white-winged dove (campus 4.19)
  202. yellow-crowned night heron (campus 4.19)
  203. cape may warbler (matheson park 4.22)
  204. black-whiskered vireo (matheson park 4.22)
  205. grey kingbird (campus 4.27)
  206. magnificent frigatebird (key biscayne 4.29)
  207. royal tern (key biscayne 4.29)
  208. black-necked stilt (crandon park, key biscayne 5.11)
  209. common nighthawk (south miami 5.11)
  210. sanderling (crandon park, key biscayne 5.11)
  211. yellow warbler (gardiner park, bay shore 5.16)
  212. carolina wren (gardiner park, bay shore 5.16)
  213. lesser yellowlegs (gardiner bay, bay shore 5.16)
  214. barn swallow (gardiner bay, bay shore 5.16)
  215. american goldfinch (gardiner bay, bay shore 5.16)
  216. seaside sparrow (gardiner bay, bay shore 5.17)
  217. least sandpiper (gardiner bay, bay shore 5.17)
  218. common tern (gardiner bay, bay shore 5.17)
  219. canada warbler (hempstead lake state park 5.18)
  220. black-throated green (hempstead lake state park 5.18)
  221. eastern kingbird (hempstead lake state park 5.18)
  222. rose-breasted grosbeak (hempstead lake state park 5.18)
  223. baltimore oriole (hempstead lake state park 5.18)
  224. veery (hempstead lake state park 5.18)
  225. great crested flycatcher (hempstead lake state park 5.18)
  226. chipping sparrow (basha kill 5.24)
  227. wood duck (basha kill 5.24)
  228. willow flycatcher (basha kill 5.24)
  229. american bittern (basha kill 5.24)
  230. virginia rail (basha kill 5.24)
  231. indigo bunting (basha kill 5.24)
  232. alder flycatcher (basha kill 5.24)
  233. acadian flycatcher (basha kill 5.24)
  234. orchard oriole (basha kill 5.24)
  235. yellow-billed cuckoo (basha kill 5.24)
  236. yellow-throated vireo (basha kill 5.24)
  237. blue-winged warbler (basha kill 5.24)
  238. field sparrow (basha kill 5.24)
  239. eastern towee (basha kill 5.24)
  240. louisiana waterthrush (basha kill 5.24)
  241. mourning warbler (basha kill 5.24)
  242. black-billed cuckoo (basha kill 5.24)
  243. eastern bluebird (basha kill 5.24)
  244. black-billed magpie (seward, alaska 5.29)
  245. arctic tern (seward, alaska 5.29)
  246. violet-green swallow (seward, alaska 5.29)
  247. northwestern crow (seward, alaska 5.29)
  248. harlequin duck (seward, alaska 5.29)
  249. pigeon guillemot (seward, alaska 5.29)
  250. marbled murrelet (seward, alaska 5.29)
  251. black-legged kittiwake (seward, alaska 5.30)
  252. varied thrush (seward, alaska 5.31)
  253. barrow’s goldeneye (seward, alaska 6.01)
  254. gray-cheeked thrush (seward, alaska 6.01)
  255. rufous hummingbird (seward, alaska 6.01)
  256. horned puffin (seward, alaska 6.02)
  257. red-faced cormorant (seward, alaska 6.02)
  258. tufted puffin (seward, alaska 6.02)
  259. rhinocerous auklet (seward, alaska 6.02)
  260. ancient murrelet (seward, alaska 6.02)
  261. common murre (seward, alaska 6.02)
  262. thick-billed murre (seward, alaska 6.02)
  263. sooty shearwater (seward, alaska 6.02)
  264. bobwhite (connetquot state park 6.08)
  265. brown thrasher (connetquot state park 6.08)
  266. cerulean warbler (doodletown, ny 6.17)
  267. sedge wren (montgomery, ny 6.17)
  268. bobolink (montgomery, ny 6.17)
  269. grasshopper sparrow (montgomery, ny 6.17)
  270. golden-winged warbler (sterling forest, ny 6.17)
  271. cory’s shearwater (robert moses field 2, ny 6.19)

photography: places

photography: nature

photography: birds

favorite films: quotes from my favorites

1. For my will is as strong as yours, my kingdom as great… Damn. I can never remember that line.

2. We’re navigators, we’re aviators, eatin’ taters, masturbatin’ alligators, bombardiers, we got no fears, won’t shed no tears, we’re pushin’ the frontiers of transcendental perception.

3. I’ll tell you in another life, when we are both cats.

4. Meet me in Montauk.

5. I want you to hit me as hard as you can.

6. Every face I see is a memory. It may not be a perfectly… perfect memory. Sometimes we’ve had our ups and downs, but we’re all together, And you’re mine, for a night. And I’m going to break precedence and tell you my one candle wish: that you would have a life, as lucky as mine where you can wake up one morning and say, “I don’t want anything more.”

7. My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius. Commander of the Armies of the North. General of the Felix Legions. Loyal servant to the true emperor, Marcus Aurelius. Father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife… and I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next.

8. This town is more than any man could ask for. And if I were to end up here, I’d consider myself lucky. But the truth is, I’m not ready to end up anywhere.

9. Hard deck my ass. We nailed that son of a bitch.

10. If you never take it seriously, you never get hurt. You never get hurt, you always have fun. And if you ever get lonely, you just go to the record store and visit your friends.

11. Have you ever stood and stared at it? Marveled at its beauty, its genius? Billions of people just living out their lives, oblivious.

12. I immediately regret this decision.

bands & performers I’ve seen live

Hanson (way long ago) with my family

Simple Plan & Avril Lavigne (junior high) with Jodie and Annie

Jonas Brothers (06, 07, 08: with Hannah Montana) with Brittney

Push Play (07) with Brittney

Sean Paul & Mariah Carey (07) with Mom and Brittney

Talib Kweli & Robert Randolph (07) for Homecoming at the U

Counting Crows & Maroon Five (08) with Mom and Brittney

N*E*R*D & Kidz in the Hall (08) for Homecoming at the U

Coldplay (08) with PeteĀ  |hands down, best ever.|