Busy Bee!

The weekend after Michael's visit Tine flew over. We spent a day in the Miami area before driving over to the west coast for a couple days in Everglades City. Saturday we went out for a kayking trip in the Everglades - it was beautiful! It reminds me a lot of the South Carolina saltmarshes but with lots more birds. We had herons and egrets and osprey back at home but here they seem to run the place. That night we enjoyed a local "delicacy" - stone crab claws. YUM! The next day we explored the Everglades again but this time on an airboat. I had never been on one before and they're really awesome! We were in only inches of water a couple of times. The birds didn't enjoy the noise so much, but the gators didn't seem to mind (and I'm glad we didn't see any kayaking). Another fun visitor!

Since then I've been working like a crazy person to finish my proposals for the National Estuarine Reserve System and National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships. I'm not very good at tooting my own horn and these have required all sorts of tooting. Not to mention a scientifically sound research plan. As of this afternoon at 3pm both of them are in so hopefully they'll show me the money! I the meantime I had various exams (like Biometrics, ugh!) and assignments due so I feel like my brain might just explode.

I did take a break Friday night to celebrate Halloween in the Grove (as a pirate, ARG!) and Tuesday night for...the most amazing election day in the history of time! I'm so glad I registered in Florida so my vote wasn't wasted in South Carolina. I even volunteered at the Obama campaign office down the street entering data from those annoying phone calls people get. At least they didn't ask me to call anyone...