Same ol'

I've been a bit slow with the entries lately, mostly because not much has been happening around here. I've settled into a bit of a routine, which mostly involves going into the university and sitting in front of a computer, and coming home to sit in front of a computer. I've been trying to work on some manuscripts that are piling up into a backlog. I'm hoping to get 2-5 of them out (well, into review) before Christmas. There is a lot of error built into that estimate, since the progress has been very slow so far.

I've also been busy applying for faculty positions. It's that time of the year in the US again. It is an amazingly drawn out process that takes most of a year to complete. I don't remember if I described it last year at this time, so I won't go into much detail until I have a look back over the old posts. There are some interesting ones this year, though so far it hasn't been as exciting a season as last year. I've sent applications to U. of Colorado, U. of Wyoming, U. of Tennessee, UCLA, Michigan Tech, and Princeton. Who knows what will come of all of this. I'm hoping to get at least an interview this year. I think my CV looks a bit better this year, so maybe. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

Of course, the job application process has meant that I have to think about various trips again. I'll be going to a meeting in Orlando (SICB) in January, so I have to deal with travel plans again. A quick look online at airfares was terrifying. The first search brought up fares in the $3000 range, just to go from Sydney to L.A., which of course leaves out the Darwin to Sydney, and L.A. to Orlando legs, and various stops to see family along the way. Ugh. I can't tell how much of that is just the increases associated with fuel prices, and how much is just plain expensive. It makes me very nervous about getting job interviews if I have to pay for part of my plane fare. I hope a very wealthy department decides to interview me, and I can tack any others onto the end of that ticket.

Balcony sunset

Balcony sunset
Originally uploaded by wandering lizard.

Okay, this is the reason I got the apartment I did. It looks out over the ocean, in the direction of the sunset. Wow.

Ocean view

Ocean view
Originally uploaded by wandering lizard.

This is the view from the balcony of my new apartment, at high tide. I love the view from this place (it's why I took the place). There are all sorts of critters in the mangroves, too. I've seen lots of birds (mostly Ibises and friarbirds), on the fence below, there are dragon lizards (Lophognathus) and some skinks). There are some green tree frogs that hang out under the spa also (yes, that's a spa on the balcony overlooking the ocean - not bad, eh?).

Darwin - early buildup

Well, it's been a busy few weeks settling into Darwin. I've managed to find a nice apartment with a great view of the ocean, including sunsets over the water. Well, sort of, the sun actually sets behind a tree, but in a few weeks I'll be able to see it from the balcony. The location is great in general, I'm close to the Sunday markets - actually, I'm just a block away! - and it's close to grocery stores, and a pizza place. The bike ride to Uni is about 5km, if I go through the neighborhoods, or 6km if I follow the bike route along the coast. Of course, going through the neighborhoods also dumps me onto the bike path along the coast, so I still have about 10 minutes looking over the water. The apartment is also about 15 years old, so the vegetation is pretty mature around it. That means critters, which makes me happy. I've got a couple green tree frogs that hang out on my balcony at night, and a dragon lizard that comes out on the fence each morning. The mangroves seem quite popular with the friarbirds, so it gets a bit raucous in the morning. I'm told that every once in a while there are crocs in the mangroves too. Of course, when I left Darwin, I sold off most of my furniture, so I've been trying to recovers some of that. So far, I have a table with 4 chairs, a bed, 2 deck chairs, and a hammock. I'm using the hammock for a couch, and there is plenty of space to sit on the floor. I'm still working on the rest.

Once I got moved in, it was time to dive head first into work. Keith had a meeting to go to this weekend, and we had a pile of data that needed to be analyzed. Needless to say, it was a bit of a mess, and took a lot longer to work through than we thought. And once we got it worked out we realized that the data were still a mess. Or at least they were not as nice as we'd have liked. We managed to pull together something, and Keith says the talk went well.

Tomorrow, we're heading to Wave Hill station, near the NT, Western Australia border. We're going to find translucent rocks with green stuff growing underneath them. Ultimately, we'll be using molecular genetics to determine the species of cyanobacteria that grow there, and then we'll compare that with the communities that have been described in other deserts throughout the world. We'll also be reviving the green slime, and measuring photosynthesis rates under different light intensities. Should be interesting, and a good excuse to take a drive. The only bad part is that it is definitely build-up season now, and it's going to be bloody hot down there. The forecast for tomorrow is 39C (that's about 102F). We'll take lots of water, I think.