beginning a journey takes time

this is officially my honorary blog entry premiere.

let me tell you how it began:

i have been pushing so hard to find my first (or technically, second) big break into the science field, since getting my b.s. in biology over a year ago. last summer i worked with bats, but on an every-other-weekend basis and we stayed in a big trailer, so my camping/hiking/navigating skills are rusty. i've peppered the scene with my best cover letter drafts and dozens of electronic copies of my cirriculum vitae, but despite the many bites i got, most things weren't for me.

but last week, after a brilliant phone-interview the week prior, i got the offer to be a volunteer field assistant and go travel the southwest doing vegetation surveys for rocky mountain flowers and observe hummingbird behavior as they come to eat. and it's going to last all summer!

thusly, i have created this blog, since my laptop will be a constant companion (most useful wherever electricity and wireless internet are available, but not entirely necessary) and i am a bit of a shutterbug. simply put, it is a way to document my experiences over the twelve weeks i anticipate being in the field. a catharsis, no doubt, for the extreme life lessons i shall face.

i plan to keep a pretty detailed account in here, especially with the photographs. i'm really very excited about it all, and as reality sets in, it just seems to get better!

i might thank myself a thousand times over later when i have this as a resource to come back to post-trip. yay!