The Boy Likes His Chard.

Chard Lover.
Originally uploaded by tramasaurus

So. It has been quite some time since the last post. Thanks to Kurt, I was reminded that this thing still exists and someone actually checks it. The past few months have been a blur. Jason and I moved to Monterey (Pacific Grove to be exact) in August. I started school at CSUMontereyBay, which I'm doing really well at. This picture was actually taken as part of a class assignment, sort of. In Bio 340 (Ecological Systems) we're assigned a semester long project in which we analyze (complete a site characterization, abiotic/biotic analysis, species list, etc...) an ecosystem of our choice and put together an experiment/analysis and write a paper, make an illustrated poster, and present at the end. I got stuck in a group with this ultra-bossy girl (who is not only bossy, but also a LAZY asshole) who decided on her own that we should study an agricultural ecosystem. Bad idea. As a privately owned business, everything we do on their property needs approval or an okay from people who never pick up their phones. Well, to make a long story short, she and I got into a bit of an argument last week Wednesday because all she wanted to do for the project is analyze data which has already been collected, which is so fucking boring. However, she broke her foot over the weekend so she might not be able to finish the class. I'll be glad if I never see her again. So we get to do what we wanted originally which is to test whether or not the location has anything to do with how well crops grow on their farm since Lazy isn't around to put down my ideas without bringing any of her own to the table. But enough of the cattiness.
This photo was taken at Earthbound Farms on one of their bug walks. I was the oldest non-adult there which made me feel a little awkward. Everyone else was either a five year old kid or their mom/dad. On the walk, one of the farm workers explained the use of beneficial insects (e.g. ladybugs, praying mantis) and afterwards, we released a gajillion ladybugs. Although they asked everyone to stay on the dirt path, this little guy dove right into the chard area and sat there digging in the soil for quite some time.