Catchin' dem manders.

Since there are a lot of professors that study reptiles and amphibians, as well as a lot of students in these professors' labs, we sort of our own little club, known as Herp Group. (We got herps, anyone?) This past weekend, the Herp Group took a little trip to southeast Ohio for an informal herpetelogical symposium. It was pretty awesome because we got to hear a lot of other professors and grad students from other schools discuss their research. From mapping out the phylogeny of turtles to examining the territoriality in salamanders, I really learned a lot. 

This trip also involved camping. I wanted to use my trusty hammock, but the trees in the yard we were staying in were pretty sparse, so I used a tent. The first night got really cold, but I had on like three shirts and two pairs of pants.

We had social gathering after the symposium, so I got some much needed bonding time with my lab mates, and I made some new friends. I am definitely becoming more comfortable with myself...The Laugh got to the point where people in my lab began commenting on it. Say what you will, but I always feel that this is a good sign haha!

A girl at this particular party was discussing "y'all" and southern accents. I felt that I needed to be in on this conversation, since I have a ridiculous amount of Southern/Alabama/Texas pride now that I live in Ohio. This was a bad idea because I just ended up pissed. She said hated "y'all" and that she would use a Southern accent when she was waiting tables in Texas because people "thought it was cute." She said she was originally from a city where people are very forward and in your face and abrasive and that the girls from Texas (her experience of the South) were all very timid and didn't stand up for what they felt. I tried to respect her opinion, but honestly, I couldn't. I know plenty of women in the South that are "abrasive" and "in your face"...ever been in the middle of an SEC football debate/game? Also, Texas is not a good representation of "the South." I don't count Texas as the South. It's its own state and region. YEAH TEXAS BITCHEZ. Most of the women I know are very adamant about their stances on all topics, and they will confront you about it. If anything, I would say that "knowing your place" is a better phrase than "not standing up for your feelings." The people I know just know when to pick their battles. Basically, I felt awfully abrasive right then and about put my Alabama-clay-stained foot through her face.

But yeah, just sharing.

We also went hiking during this adventure...we found quite a few salamander species, so it was pretty awesome. 

Plethodon cinerus 

(red-backed salamander)

Eurycea cirrigea

(Southern two-lined salamander) 

Plethodon glutinosus

(Northern slimy salamander) 

Desmognathus fuscus

(Dusky salamander) 

I hope you learned some things from this post. Such as the scientific names of these salamanders.

Hey y'all.

Well, since most of my friends that I follow are on Blogspot, I guess it's about time I make the switch. I told my family and friends back home I would start a blog so they could stay updated on my life, so here it is! (Don't worry Tumblr...I'll be back!)

A little bit about where my life is going right now. In the spring of 2010, I finished my undergrad at Birmingham-Southern College with a BS in Biology. Over the next year, I completed my student teaching at a local middle school and high school. In January 2011, I was fortunate enough to be hired at a private school in Birmingham, where I had my own science classroom full of my very own tenth graders.While I loved every second I spent with these kids (I cried several times during my last week), I knew that my time was short lived, as I had already decided to start a masters program in Cleveland, OH. I spent that summer working as a camp counselor at a camp just outside of Birmingham. This camp was a place that, last year, helped me to realize what I love in my life, and it became one of the experiences that I held on to over the year. It was a bittersweet time, since I knew this would be my last time at Camp for a while. I made a lot of new friends there this summer, and I had the time of my life teaching kids how to canoe and how to work together as a team.

But of course, July came to an end, and after spending a few weeks in wonderful Birmingham, I packed up my trusty Jetta, ate one last meal at Los Amigos, said "see ya later" to all my friends, and drove on up to Cleveland. I got a little stir crazy in the car about midway through (would I ever make it out of Kentucky??), but Ohio was there soon enough, and before I knew it, I was driving through my new neighborhood.

I got everything set up, though I slept on an air mattress for a couple weeks, and I am still waiting on a few pieces of furniture. But I have all the necessities, so it's all good. But, not gonna lie, I am really ready for a dresser, because right now all my clothes are in piles on the floor. I am ready for some organization!!

Classes got started pretty soon after that. If you are not interested in hearing about this, then this is the point where you stop reading the blog....because I'm in grad school. And classes are what I do. Just FYI. I am taking....

Advanced Ecology (lots of papers to read, lots of presentations! Learning a lot about experimental design)
Aquatic Resources (labs are all in the field, so this means I spend my Saturday mornings wading through ponds collecting algae or seining for fish aka AWESOMENESS)
Biology Seminar (speakers from the community come talk about their research. Get to meet some pretty awesome people here.)
Anatomy and Physiology (not really taking this, but I am the graduate assistant for this lab. So I still get to do some teaching, which is great.)

You will get to hear a lot more about those, don't worry. I also have the research component of my Masters. Right now I am reading a lot of primary literature, but once I get started writing my proposal, I think I will be ready to share with the world what I am doing.

As for the people, my adviser is awesome, the professors are super cool, and the friends I have made are pretty fun. My roommate and I hosted a taco party (complete with paper mustaches) last weekend, which I feel like was pretty much a huge hit. While I don't feel like I have that much of a Southern accent, most people here say I do, which I understand. I definitely feel it whenever I say "y'all!" But I am proud of my Alabama/Texas roots, so I just own it!

So that's a little of what's going on in my life right now. Hopefully I will remember to use this thing, so I can keep those that are interested in my Cleveland life updated. Enjoy!

Bye y'all!