Walking on the FGCU Campus.

      Our second class trip was to the campus nature preserve, which I have alot of personal experience with.  The trails span the entirety of the campus nature preserve, and, as I explained in class, have 2 loops through every section of the preserve along with crossroads.  The trails are simple and undeveloped, which keeps them from being very intrusive, but also means that they are very susceptible to flooding and downed trees.

      The FGCU nature preserve is an example of untouched everglades environment, and is also a great place to take a really long walk (like, over an hour).  I've seen quite a few interesting animals out there, and have a few pieces of amber-wood lying around because I'm a terrible person. (Amber-wood is wood from the still-standing base of a dead tree, which is saturated with tree-sap and becomes hard and flammable, making it good for use as tools, weapons, or firewood)  There are boars, deer, and coyotes out there, though many lame people will deny this.

      I learned a few things about the stuff out there that I didn't know already, like that the fire that I've always noticed near the dorms actually happened in 2003, and that the burnt wood has just stayed there for this long.  I wonder why it hasn't fallen apart yet...


I'm so incredibly sick right now that I can write no more.  I'll probably come back to this when I feel better...

In the meantime, have ponies interpreting what the class will be like after I come in sick anyway:

Those ponies!

Corkscrew Field Trip

      Last week in Colloquium we went to the Corkscrew Swamp preserve, which I wouldn't describe as a swamp, because the Everglades is more like a giant forest to me, and the other swamps I've been in feel nothing like it  We walked around on a boardwalk and weren't allowed to jump off into the dirt, but we got to see some interesting stuff going on around it, like some alligators which were WAY too small to eat for dinner.

      I found out that duckweed is actually an invasive species which can be harmful for local wildlife.  I'd known what it was, but I guess I'd assumed it was a natural part of the ecosystem.  Now I wonder if it's like Mellaluca, which was brought here on purpose, or if it was brought here on accident.  I guess I'll have to look it up one of these days...

> Impressions, feelings, ideas, what did you like about it?

      I thought the part about the septic systems was kinda interesting, I guess.  When they were talking about the aquifer being our water supply and how it was fed by seepage from the above-ground water, it reminded me about how important it is to keep the everglades from being polluted.  It worries me that they're now talking about fracking in the everglades, because of the accidents that have happened with it in other parts of the country, and the danger of a fracking-related contamination of the water-system...

> Would you visit Corkscrew again?

      Corkscrew is really far away, and not that different from the wilderness on campus, so I don't see why I'd go out of my way to see it...


Anyway, I'm outta things to say, so have a pony lovin' a tree.

My trip to the RNC

This week I was in Tampa, hanging out with the protestors outside the Republican National Convention.  I got some really cool footage of Tampa, which is a really nice city, and even ended up outside of a coal-plant where protestors had chained themselves to the roadway to prevent coal from being delivered.  The police were totally chill and pallin' around with us 'n stuff.  It was way coolios.

[ Playlist of the raw footage on YouTube. ]

This relates to Colloquium because people who aren't politically informed and active are just as bad as the republicans when it comes to the environment.

First day in colloquium

My first day in colloquium was swell.  I totally nailed every question on the exam and I was totally high when I did it.  No sweat. 

I learned that, if I work with the office of service hours closely, I can get hours for all sorts of stuff I thought I wouldn't get credit for.  Shagalicous!

I can't wait to go on some awesome-socks field-trips for super-fun times when I get back from the RNC protests, which will be TOTALLY enviro-friendly, 'cause Republicans are bad for the environment.  Shazam-a-wam!

I also learned that the teacher is not a republican rommunist, which is double awesome.  Zowie-Kapowie!

Using Big, loaded phrases like "WHAM!" and "POW!" make my writing sound COOL and EXCITING.  I like cats.  Blammo!

[ Note: I just noticed that this post was supposed to be typed up and