Bass Lake

In Ornithology, we have to do bird observations in the field, so we cruised over the Bass Lake, off of 221, near Blowing Rock.
Bass Lake is a protected area, primarily due to the water fowl that reside there

American Robin chilling in an Eastern Hemlock
Mallard
Wood Ducks
so studious 
the sunset was nice later in the evening

recent happenings

You'd have to go back quite a way to find a cycling related post, but here are some updates. 
I got a new handlebar, Bontrager Race X lite riser. I had to cut my old grips off, and per Michelle's suggestion I went with the pink bar tape. It clashes pretty badly but I sorta dig it. I started base training November 1, so I'm three days in and it feels really good to be back into a routine and back to "training" instead of just riding. I am sure i'll have more updates to follow.
Contemplating studying is a nice way to pass some time around the dorm. In Ornithology we're covering the bird skeleton and feathers... tough stuff. 
My Geophagus sp. "tapajós orange head" finally had babies again, that's $400 worth of infant fishes swimming around in there. I haven't been able to raise any yet but this batch seems to be doing very well so far. As far as I could count, there are about 30 of them, approx. 2 weeks old. 

variety pack

In Ecology, we put out 19 rodent traps on our plot. We snagged this little dude, a Red Backed Vole, he is about the size (and shape) of a golf ball. 
He's a little shy for his photo shoot... how is it possible to be that round?

Personally, I was scared of the little guy but Michelle picked him up for a good head shot. He was tame, I am not sure whether it was due to his natural disposition or just the fact that he was really cold from a long night in a tin box. 

A shot of the sunrise on our plot for Ecology. 
This Garter Snake was trying to bask in the sun on a 50 degree day, not too productive. I am glad I am not an Ectotherm. 
Annabelle came to BE for a few days and stayed with me and dub in the dorm room. Luckily she's like a little SS soldier, so no one was ever the wiser. 
C-dub and belle chillin in the room.

just a shout out

I got the new Rise Against cd a few weeks ago, "appeal to reason". It shot to my number 1 most played on itunes in like 12 days, it's amazing. Everyone should check it out, they're a great band with great lyrics that carry a great message. Give it a listen! 

just a few more

i couldn't get this one to rotate, but you get the idea... tourist-style

Linn Cove and Tanawha Trails: doin da tourist thang

good times

carson and eric "jens" chillaxing in the room
still get better looking everyday
carson invented a new sleeping strategy, i think it is still a work in progress, version two will probably be available early 2009. compatible for gAngstA, not pc or mac
pasta everyday for the most part.

The semester is rolling along, classes are aight, allergies suck, cycling is fun, it's my favorite month, life is good. I saw Atmosphere in concert tuesday, he is really good live and makes good music. More pics and stuff to come,

e

Just some pics of what's been going on

In Ecology, we've been working on a project down at the Field Station (pictured above). My plot of land is about a kilometer up the side of the mountain. We have to identify the trees, plants, flowers, birds, invertebrates, salamanders, etc. that are within our 50 x 50m plot. So here are some pictures of the initial sampling.
Lots of Brook Crayfish walking around in the creek. Most were just 2cm, but the one pictured above was a beast, 5cm.

So far, we have Seal Salamander, Black Bellied Salamander and Mountain Dusky Salamander.

And here is me back at home hiking with my sidekick Annabelle and my little niece Bailey. 

back to the grind

Well, it hasn't rained more than a few drops for 3 months. I get to Banner Elk, and we get a huge wave of precipitation from the hurricane. It literally rained 36 hours without stopping. But me and Carson got the mountain bikes out and brushed up the technical skills on our course while it was nice and glacial. Actually, it wasn't bad at all, it turned out to be a blast. 

The standard "first day of classes are a joke" is over with no punch line. I actually had to take notes in three of my classes on the first day haha. At least they don't give you any hope from the gun. My course schedule looks good though: Ornithology, Principles of Ecology, World Religion and Beginning Painting. Should be a good mix of everything: difficult, easy, stressful, relaxing, all wrapped into one semester. 

It's different knowing this is my last semester, I guess last year I knew I would be back. It seems like I should put out the extra effort to enjoy my time here as it winds down. But, this is two straight text-only posts, and I know that's weak, so I'll make sure and get some pictures up next time,

e

Olympics: In Review

Here is my take on the Olympics, I actually watched a tremendous amount of it surprisingly and found it very interesting. 

Most Memorable Performances

1. Phelps collective effort

2. Nastia Liukin all-around Gold in Gymnastics, Silver in uneven bars 

3. May/Walsh Gold in Beach Volleyball

4. Rogers/Daulhauser Gold in Beach Volleyball

5. Shana Johnson Gold in Beam and Silver in all-around, Gymnastics

6. Usain Bolt in 100m  and 200m, Track

7. Jason Lezak anchor leg in 4x100 free relay

8. Jonathon Horton on High Bar, Gymnastics

9. Yelena Isinbayeva Gold and new WR in women's pole Vault

10. Dara Torres winning medals at 41

Honorable Mention

-Walter Dix in 100m and 200m, Track

-USA men's and women's Water Polo

Most Disappointing Performances 

1. Lolo Jones in women's 110 Hurdles

2. Tyson Gay in 100m and 4x100 relay

3. Bernard Legot in men's 1500m

4. Liu Xiang in men's 110 hurdles

5. Abubacher Kaki in men's 800m

6. Paolo Bettini in men's Road Race, Cycling 

TDF month aka July

Not a lot has been going on lately. Been riding a lot, sucks cause its been like a million degrees everyday but it has done wonders for the tan lines haha. I guess school starts in 4 weeks, I am not sure what I think about that, I am kind of looking forward to it but also kind of scared about starting my last semester. 

The TDF is wrapping up this weekend. I am gonna go ahead and say that Cadel Evans will rip the yellows jersey off of Sastre in the TT by the 30k mark. You heard it here. I also think Vandevelde will win the TT. 

Well that's about it, I'll try and have something sweet for next time

e

random

True love, Broad-headed Lizard style

My sidekick, taking a nap in the truck.
"when i grow up i wanna be a caterpillar" -Ralph Wigham
I just though this image was cool.

e

Graduate Research on how this guys brain works?

Copyright © 2008 Edward Burress 

So I am applying to Graduate school, or will be soon. After a stint in Psychology at Lees McRae I have decided to go into a Biology program. It's sort of strange having to decide what to do research on, research that will last the next 6-7 years of my life haha. But it is also exciting at the same time. I want to go into animal behavior research, so maybe fish? I am not sure, but probably. They were the first vertebrates on our planet so surely they are interesting enough haha. In December I am going to Uruguay to collect some wild fish to use for my research next year when I start in a grad program. I have a particular destination of preference but I suppose I will withhold that until it is a done deal. I mainly want to research species recognition, mate selection, and maybe some genetic work on species boundaries. All with South American fishes,of the genera Geophagus and Gymnogeophagus. But, long run I am fairly settled on being a professor. The next step is the GRE so we'll see how that goes, and go from there.

e