New Photos

So it may seem as if I've been slacking off on the whole "photo-a-day" thing, however I've been hard at work going over my Costa Rica pictures, picking my favourites, and posting them to flickr. You can visit my site here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rpizzle/

The trip was amazing, and it was just an incredible experience. I saw so many different types of animals and plants that I never even knew existed, or had only seen pictures of. I got to see 3 different types of monkeys (capuchin, howler and spider monkeys), two different types of sloth, a bunch of different lizards and reptiles, and about a million different types of birds. (Alright, that may be an exaggeration, but we saw lots). Oh, and as well as showering with a tree frog, I showered with a gecko. So all in all a successful trip!

Enjoy the photos, and feel free to let me know what you think!

Ola from Costa Rica!

Hey folks! As the title may suggest, I am in fact in Costa Rica. At La Selva research station, to be exact. I was planning on posting a few pictures from the last few days, however I seem to have left the jump drive with the photos in my room, and seeing as it's about a 5 minute walk from the dorm to the computer room and it's currently pouring (they don't call it a rainforest for nothing!) I decided to wait and just post when I get back.

In the meantime, I'll just list a few of the crazy cool things I've seen and done:
1) Went to the beach and waded in the Pacific
2) Spent a few nights at Palo Verde research station in the dry forest
3) Showered with a tree frog
4) Watched the sun go down over the wetlands where a bunch of different bird species were hanging out, then went on a night hike through the dry forest
5) Saw howler monkeys, white-faced capuchin monkeys (both with babies!), a scarlet macaw, crocodiles galore, iguanas, coatis, agoutis, poisonous snakes, glowing scorpions, all sorts of birds (including white ibis, rosy spoonbill and a toucan, amongst MANY others), poison dart frogs, leaf-cutter ants, a peccary, and probably a million other animals that I'm forgetting
6) hiked at the base of an active volcano (although it was too foggy to actually see anything)
7) Rode a horse to the edge of the rainforest then went ziplining through the canopy a few hundred feet up, which was AMAZING (who knew I could do that with my fear of falling?? Be proud!), then afterwards spent a few hours at the hot springs
8) Hiked through the rainforest with a guide who could point out a bunch of the thousands of plant species here
9) Stood and watched a sloth hanging in a tree
10) Went to the pineapple plantation where they produce all the organic pineapples for Dole, Whole Foods and President's Choice

We've done a ton more amazingly cool stuff, but that's just a basic outline of my journey thus far. Tonight we're going out to catch bats and insects, tomorrow we're going to visit a banana plantation, and other than that I'm not entirely sure what's coming up. But it's bound to be great!

Check out our trip blog to see what we're doing: www.nicholas.duke.edu/costarica
I haven't posted yet, but I think a few of my photos are up and I'll hopefully be posting within the next couple of days. Stay tuned!

Long Day is Over...

...and still no photos. Sorry, again. Had class starting at 8:30 this morning, spent my lunch hour in front of a computer cramming, then wrote 2 back to back midterms tonight (pretty sure I blew them both, too). Finished at 8:30 p.m. A solid 12 hours. Recovered with a glass of wine and a mind-blowing episode of Lost, and now I'm ready for bed.

I'll try to post something tomorrow.... then a 10-day hiatus while I'm in Costa Rica!

Sorry Folks...

No photo for today. It's been kind of hectic, and I just didn't find time to bring my camera out. And now I'm just too wiped.

Tomorrow's looking pretty ridiculous as well... I'll do my best, but no promises!

Greatest Monday EVER

I woke up this morning the same way I always do: My alarm went off, and after some struggling to find my arms beneath the blankets I hit the snooze button and went back to sleep. Nine minutes later, my alarm goes off. I hit the snooze button and go back to sleep. Nine minutes later, my alarm goes off. I hit the snooze button and go back to sleep. Nine minutes later, my alarm goes off. I flick the button over to radio, but my clock is being testy again and doesn't pick up the station. So I lie in bed and stare at the ceiling, slowly inching my feet out from beneath my cozy duvet so the cold floor won't seem like such a shock. Then, with the world's most heartfelt sigh, I ease my way out of bed and hit the showers (where I wash my hair AND my face twice, because I can't remember which cleansing rituals have already been completed).

Then, clean and dry and wrapped in a big fluffy towel, I turn on my computer to check my email. But this morning differed from others in one glorious way. Awaiting me in my inbox was a notification of the one thing every student (even us ancient grad students) wait the entire year to hear....

SNOW DAY.

Classes cancelled, assignments put off, SNOW DAY.

Of course the first thing I do is call my Mom to brag about my luck, and revel in the fact that I can go back to bed for awhile. And go back to bed I do... not sleeping, but watching a full 3 episodes of Gilmore Girls on DVD and letting my mind slowly wake up the proper way.

Then, after sufficient time had passed and I felt it was time to actually start my day, I hazarded a peek out the window, to see this incredible environmental saviour that caused classes to be cancelled.

And what, may you ask, did I see?



An inch of snow. ONE. FULL. INCH.

As one friend put it, "An inch of snow and the entire city shuts down? What a Toronto thing to do..."

Poor Chazz, he probably thought coming south meant never having to say "I'm freezing". Too bad I left my snow brush in Ottawa...



I don't think the holly-like bush outside my front door liked it too much either. But it sure does look purdy!



And now, my friends, I am off to spend the remainder of my snow day trying to catch up on homework assignments and study for the two midterms I write this week.

Oh, and to practice my "interpretive talk" for my job interview tonight... wish me luck!

Child-Robyn's Dream Come True

So I was sent to cover an event today for the communications department, and when I walked into the room I nearly fainted with delight. The room was full of 1500 brand-spanking-new books. Shiny, colourful, wonderfully-gloriously-new-smelling children's books.

Child-Robyn would have died on the spot out of sheer joy.

(You can find more info about the event on my school blog... it'll be up within a few days)