Another rough day in the field was spent lazing under the hot sun. At this point my hands are so tanned it looks like I am wearing gloves. I keep the rest of my body protected with warm clothes, so the only thing exposed most days are the manos and carra. I am starting to resemble a raccoon. Tomorrow I have a day off. Maybe I will go outside in my bathing suit and try to add some color to the rest of my body. It will only take about ½ hour until I look like a lobster.
With only one capture, there was a lot of time for planning and making to do lists. The schedule has pretty much fallen apart with regard to who will be assisting me in the field with the last colony. I decided not to worry about it. As for the ‘to do’s, it’s really just a matter of cleaning the house, laundry, entering data and making labels. My professor, Dr. Loren Hayes, requested a thesis outline, some figures, and some graphs to show my progress. I balked at this at first, but having no internet, he gave me an extension. I have been working on these things, but really I don’t know how detailed to be. I will send rough drafts down with Gaba to be e-mailed and see if what I have so far is sufficient. I hope things are going well in Berkeley with Michael and all the blood smears, and parasite identification and density counts. I certainly do not envy him.
I have been giving a lot of thought to the different angles we can approach the data I have collected. I have so much data to analyze I am not sure how I will finish it all in one year. However, this spring, I will have to start developing a portfolio of research topics/hypothesis to pursue for (and present to) prospective programs for my Ph.D. thesis. Loren recommended I go to University of Miami to work with one of his colleagues, but I am thinking of taking my research in a different direction. I really want to continue to pursue acoustic ecology, and I have taken a greater interest in hormones and their role in behavior since last summer. Also, the 2010 Müller and Cant paper on what can be termed as culture in banded mongoose really caught my attention. I also wish to continue working in S. America. So, I have to see if I can find a program somewhere that will allow me combine my interests and explore some of my questions. I will also have to take the newly revised GRE general and subject tests. I am not looking forward to that. Incredulous.
Calling Spalacopus cyanus
I keep fantasizing about the moment I step off the plane in San Antonio. Seeing the beautiful faces of my family and getting great big hugs will be a dream come true. A dream I have been having for near to six months now. I think about the bath of kisses I will receive when finally get home and see my Sammie-dog. Will she be mad at me that I left her for so long and not even come see me? Impossible! I can’t wait for kitty kisses from my fuzzy brothers. And maybe Sky won’t growl when I go to love on her…probably asking for too much on that one.
I hope mom and Lizzy saved some ornaments and space on the tree for me. Then afterward, we can go Christmas caroling in that spiffy new truck of my mom's with the seat warmers. It is possible I will be wearing shorts on Christmas day, being so used to the cold here in the mountains.
After tomorrow, there will be only one more week of trapping coruros, then more characterization work. The first few days I was in the field, I was characterizing habitat openness. This time, I will attempt to collect information about the density and complexity of the burrow systems. This will take two days. Maybe I can do some relaxing in between, with two extra days saved for bad weather that I have not had to use yet. After that I pack up and head back down to Santiago to unload cargo and work on samples to send off for two days, hopefully with all the paperwork is prepared for easy shipment of the samples.
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