It’s amazing how much work one can get done when one doesn’t go to work. I only had one class today but had to miss it because I had car trouble and had to take my Scion to the shop. This is the first class I’ve missed since I broke my collarbone and three ribs back in the spring of 2006. I really don’t like cancelling class, but since I wasn’t able to make it to school I stayed home and got so much more done than if I’d gone in. I got tests graded, which I can seldom do at school because of constant interruptions, and made tremendous progress on the final revision to our
Writing in Psychology text, which we’ll be using in the spring. I probably completed over a third of that project today alone. And I still had time to get in a walk around the neighborhood, have a shower and quick nap, and grill pork chops for dinner. Work is really cutting down on my productivity.
As for the car, that’s another story. Turns out they have to order parts, which won’t be in until tomorrow, and the total cost is going to be around 1200 bucks. Means I’ve essentially worked the last 10 days for free. Oh well, Lana is off tomorrow so I’ll take her car to school. In the meantime, here’s a few more pics from the Flatwoods preserve. Doesn’t that first one look like an “Alien” egg? Anyone recognize what it really is? The flower and butterfly is self explanatory, but how about that animal track in water? I know the answer to questions 1 and 2. Do you?
23 comments:
Sorry about the car trouble. As far as the picture, I'm at a loss. Maybe my screen isn't doing its job.
Hey, Charles, I know this is a stupid question, but I've been trying to subscribe to your blog, and I'm not seeing where to do that. Can you help me?
Brandon
http://www.bloodredtales.com
The alien egg-thing looks like some kind of wood, sort of like a willow trunk if it grew into that shape, but of course willow trunks don't grow into that shape so I have no idea. OTOH, it also looks a bit like the African termite nests, the really huge ones? But I don't think those kinds of termites live in the US, and at any rate they don't build their nests in water that I know of. :/
The track looks like a water bird, but beyond that I'm clueless. [squint]
Angie
I always feel like I get more done when I stay home from work. Trouble is it's washing dishes.
The alien egg is some sort of oversize, mutant cypress knee. The animal track is one of them Looziana crawdads attempt to make a peace sign.
Not familiar with southern flora and fauna, but the first looks like either a rock or a weathered stump and the last a goose print.
Brandon, I've never set up that option. Not even sure how. But I'll look into it in a week or two. So swamped with work right now I can't add another task at the moment.
Angie, Dave, Bernita, interesting guesses but I'm going to hold off revealing the answers for a bit yet.
Brandon -- I'm subscribed to Charles's blog. I use the Google reader and I have a plug-in for Firefox that lets me add a button to my bar to automatically subscribe to blogs. I'm very new to this blog reader stuff and have no idea whether the plug-in is tuned for Google or what, but if you use Firefox you might go looking for that plug-in and give it a shot. Or maybe someone who knows more than I do about this can explain better, but at least you know it's doable. Luck!
Angie
The first one is a gigantic, mutant salamander poking his head out of the water, sniffing for prey. The print is from a baby dinosaur running around the preserve, stealing bird's eggs. :)
Angie, Wow. Who knew? I've got a lot to learn.
Lisa, as they say in the Guiness comercials. "Brilliant!"
Charles -- hey, easier to stalk you this way. ;) Seriously, I have no idea how it makes its own feed; I'm just glad it can.
Angie
*Jumps up & down w/hand raised high* Ooh, ooh! I know! Pick me! Ooh! Ooh!
;)
You mean it isn't an alien egg??
Lana, I picked you when I married you sweety-pie.
SQT, maybe it was. But if so it's hatched now and is inside me.
The thing in the river looks like a rock.
The print... a large water bird, like a crane, perhaps?
No, that's not a footprint. It has more than 3 feet. There are two smaller feet at the bottom, which makes it a human figure.
It's a woodoo drawing, captured upside down. Perhaps, that is also part of the trick.
I'm done to a three-day, 15-hour work week, and work *still* gets in the way of my productivity!
Guess number one is a rotted tree trunk.
I'm pretty certain the track is from a turkey.
The alien egg is a rock or a cypress knee, and the bird track is from an egret or a stork.
Loved the first line of this post.
It is kind of amazing what one can do with an entire day without work! I arranged my schedule with that in mind -- pushing all my classes together on certain days. Good luck with the car!
The first one looks like a cypress knee to me. I'll guess a great blue heron footprint for the second mystery picture.
My husband is also a professor, and he has the same experience with his work time at school often being unproductive. He gets much more done at home, especially now in the new house because our offices are now at oppposite ends of the house instead of next to each other.
I vaguely remember you mentioning your text before, but don't recall whether you're looking for a publisher for it. With more and more colleges putting an emphasis on writing, it seems it could find a home with a publisher, particularly if you expanded it to social sciences in general.
I wish I could say the same thing, but I had all of last week off and I didn't do a lot. Of course, if my 18-year-old son hadn't broken his foot at a dance party last Saturday (trying to imitate John Travolta), I might have gotten more done. Such is life. As for thing that looks like the Creature emerging from the Black Lagoon, I'm clueless. The bird footprint looks like it's from some sandpiper-type bird, but it may be too big for that.
Good luck with the car. I've managed to car pool with a coworker. Now my boss might join in. Anything to save on the wear and tear of my automobile. Any thing to save a buck.
Yep, good luck with that car. My son's is in the repair shop now and that $1,200 quote you had made me wince.
Unscheduled days off are like presents. They're a rare and lovely surprise. I'm glad you were able to make the most of your time away from school.
Hmmmmm...the pictures. I do adore Lisa's guess and would rather stick with it than even know what's really there.
Thanks for the info Angie. Very cool. You helped out several people here with that info it looks like.
Hey, Charles, how does it feel to have all these people posting on your blog, and however did you do it?
Thanks.
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