Wet in Darwin
Okay, there is no way for me to catch up on the details of what I've been doing lately, so I'll go for the highlights, and whatever i can remember.
I've been pretty busy here, trying to get some projects finished off, and others started. the goal was to write two manuscripts while I was here. Not sure if that is going to happen, but we should be able to make a bit of progress on them. One of them is a model, that we are almost finished with. We just need to do a couple of more runs of it, and then start writing. The other is a big compilation of information on the ecology of dormancy in a burrowing frog (Cyclorana australis). They are pretty interesting, even when they are just sitting underground in a burrow. We're still working out what information we have, and what we still need for that one. Last week we ran another set of experiments on them, which turned out really well. It's going to be a big paper, I think.
It has been interesting coming back. I was gone for about 6 months, and there was a mix of people who didn't notice I was gone, thought I'd been gone for a bit, or thought I'd been gone forever. Darwin hasn't changed much - the same people go to the weekend markets for breakfast and produce, the same people work at the various shops. Of course, there has been some turnover at the university, but that always happens - students finish and leave, new ones arrive, etc.
I have noticed a much stronger anti-American attitude around here this time around. Before, it was much more directed at the Bushites, but now that he's been re-elected, many people here seem to think that the whole country is full of megalomaniacal, self-centered, fat, blowhards. I have been doing my part to try to convince people that only 51% of the country is like that. I've even had my 8th grade civics lessons tested by trying to explain the electoral college system to people here. Because of that system, there is a general sentiment that the election was actually a landslide (Bush did win a great majority of electoral votes). I've had to point out that he only got 51% of the vote, and that despite bragging about winning the most votes of any presidential candidate in U.S. history, Kerry got the second most votes in U.S. history. Of course, Bush's subsequent actions have done nothing to make anyone here feel better about him (except some rich vacationers, and the occasional farmer who will benefit from Bush's proposed cuts to US farm subsidies.
But this is starting to get a bit depressing. I have been able to get into the field a little bit, and the frogs are in full chorus. They seem to be having a good wet season. Actually, all the native critters seem to be doing well this year. I've seen a lot of frill-necked lizards (Clamydosaurus kingii) around, as well as a bunch of big goannas (Varanus panoptes). Actually, I've been seeing more goannas this year than I remember from past years. It's pretty exciting to be cruising along the bike path, and have a 6 foot long goanna zip across in front of you. Still no cane toads in Darwin, but there are a lot of anti-cane toad and 'stop the cane toads' signs around.
It's been a good mix of wet season weather here too. I arrived at the beginning of a small monsoon system, so it rained for several days in a row. Then it cleared up and got unbelievably muggy. It's not really that hot - about 32°C (90°F) - but the humidity is up in the 60% range. That makes the heat index up around 45-50°C (115-125°F)! Ugh! There has been a good westerly wind, too, so the ocean has been up. There were even several days where the surfers were able to find waves to ride, which is really rare in Darwin. And it was choppy enough that people were able to go in without worrying too much about box jellies.
I've been settling back into a routine of going to the markets on Saturday and Sunday mornings to get breakfast. It's a good excuse to get out a bit, eat, and even get exercise. The Saturday bike ride is about 8km each way, so I feel a bit better about getting a fruit smoothie when I get there. It is certainly a struggle to get motivated to get much exercise in this climate though - if you do anything more active than breathe, you start to sweat. Oh well, good for keeping the sweat glands in good shape, eh?
I've been pretty busy here, trying to get some projects finished off, and others started. the goal was to write two manuscripts while I was here. Not sure if that is going to happen, but we should be able to make a bit of progress on them. One of them is a model, that we are almost finished with. We just need to do a couple of more runs of it, and then start writing. The other is a big compilation of information on the ecology of dormancy in a burrowing frog (Cyclorana australis). They are pretty interesting, even when they are just sitting underground in a burrow. We're still working out what information we have, and what we still need for that one. Last week we ran another set of experiments on them, which turned out really well. It's going to be a big paper, I think.
It has been interesting coming back. I was gone for about 6 months, and there was a mix of people who didn't notice I was gone, thought I'd been gone for a bit, or thought I'd been gone forever. Darwin hasn't changed much - the same people go to the weekend markets for breakfast and produce, the same people work at the various shops. Of course, there has been some turnover at the university, but that always happens - students finish and leave, new ones arrive, etc.
I have noticed a much stronger anti-American attitude around here this time around. Before, it was much more directed at the Bushites, but now that he's been re-elected, many people here seem to think that the whole country is full of megalomaniacal, self-centered, fat, blowhards. I have been doing my part to try to convince people that only 51% of the country is like that. I've even had my 8th grade civics lessons tested by trying to explain the electoral college system to people here. Because of that system, there is a general sentiment that the election was actually a landslide (Bush did win a great majority of electoral votes). I've had to point out that he only got 51% of the vote, and that despite bragging about winning the most votes of any presidential candidate in U.S. history, Kerry got the second most votes in U.S. history. Of course, Bush's subsequent actions have done nothing to make anyone here feel better about him (except some rich vacationers, and the occasional farmer who will benefit from Bush's proposed cuts to US farm subsidies.
But this is starting to get a bit depressing. I have been able to get into the field a little bit, and the frogs are in full chorus. They seem to be having a good wet season. Actually, all the native critters seem to be doing well this year. I've seen a lot of frill-necked lizards (Clamydosaurus kingii) around, as well as a bunch of big goannas (Varanus panoptes). Actually, I've been seeing more goannas this year than I remember from past years. It's pretty exciting to be cruising along the bike path, and have a 6 foot long goanna zip across in front of you. Still no cane toads in Darwin, but there are a lot of anti-cane toad and 'stop the cane toads' signs around.
It's been a good mix of wet season weather here too. I arrived at the beginning of a small monsoon system, so it rained for several days in a row. Then it cleared up and got unbelievably muggy. It's not really that hot - about 32°C (90°F) - but the humidity is up in the 60% range. That makes the heat index up around 45-50°C (115-125°F)! Ugh! There has been a good westerly wind, too, so the ocean has been up. There were even several days where the surfers were able to find waves to ride, which is really rare in Darwin. And it was choppy enough that people were able to go in without worrying too much about box jellies.
I've been settling back into a routine of going to the markets on Saturday and Sunday mornings to get breakfast. It's a good excuse to get out a bit, eat, and even get exercise. The Saturday bike ride is about 8km each way, so I feel a bit better about getting a fruit smoothie when I get there. It is certainly a struggle to get motivated to get much exercise in this climate though - if you do anything more active than breathe, you start to sweat. Oh well, good for keeping the sweat glands in good shape, eh?
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