Sleeping Bluestriped Grunt.
Sleeping Parrotfish.
Reef Shrimp.
Tiny crab on some Fire Coral.
Caribbean Spiny Lobster.
Night Snorkels with the New Strobe
Sleeping Bluestriped Grunt.
Sleeping Parrotfish.
Reef Shrimp.
Tiny crab on some Fire Coral.
Caribbean Spiny Lobster.
One Year and Still Running
Winter is definitely here in Arrecife. The humidity has dropped considerably, now hovering around 70% most days. Nights are cool (low 70s) and often windy, necessitating long pants rather than the usual shorts or skirts. Everyone here is in the Christmas mood as well, despite the fact that we're not really expecting much of a White Christmas. Unless you count the sand. I made almond rocca a few days ago and have been distributing it ever since, to positive reviews. Virtually every building and palm tree along the main thoroughfares is encrusted in Christmas lights, giving the whole island a rather cheery feel. Kristal and I don't have a Christmas tree, but we're considering the installation of a Christmas palm frond instead. Kristal was bemoaning our lack of a chimney a few days ago, but I pointed out that since the dryer vents out near the roof, we should just leave the dryer door open on Christmas Eve. Santa will figure it out.
December 11th was my one year anniversary of being on the island, and the 13th was one year working at the Winchester-Swann. To be honest, the event passed rather quietly - I only realized it had been a year when a friend who had been in the same orientation session reminded me. So it's been a year, and I'm happy to report that I still like my job. (How could I not, right?) Still, I've been giving my future plans some thought, and I think I have a working plan at this point. Next summer/fall I'll start applying for grad school, then enroll and attend in fall 2009. A little far away still, I know, but that's what I'm going with. So if you've been wondering how long I'll be down here on the rock, now you know.
Over the past year I've dabbled a bit, on and off, in long-distance running. Admittedly, I was mostly "off" during that time due to work, but I've gotten more serious in the past 6 months or so. Well, today was the first test of all that jogging foolishness. The Winchester-Swann was hosting a 5K "Jingle Bell Run/Walk" to benefit a local charity, so I decided (two days ago) to give it a shot. Well... I did it! I ran the 5K in about 26 minutes. That estimate is within 30 seconds of my actual finish time, but as it was a fun run there was no official timer shouting out finish times, and I forgot to time it on my own watch. Talk about your newbie mistakes... Still, there were quite a few friends from work there, and it was definitely an educational experience. And considering I was expecting a finish time in the neighborhood of 30 minutes - possibly as much as 35 - I am very happy with my results. There are a few more races coming up in the next few months, so I may be posting more times up here soon enough.
December 11th was my one year anniversary of being on the island, and the 13th was one year working at the Winchester-Swann. To be honest, the event passed rather quietly - I only realized it had been a year when a friend who had been in the same orientation session reminded me. So it's been a year, and I'm happy to report that I still like my job. (How could I not, right?) Still, I've been giving my future plans some thought, and I think I have a working plan at this point. Next summer/fall I'll start applying for grad school, then enroll and attend in fall 2009. A little far away still, I know, but that's what I'm going with. So if you've been wondering how long I'll be down here on the rock, now you know.
Over the past year I've dabbled a bit, on and off, in long-distance running. Admittedly, I was mostly "off" during that time due to work, but I've gotten more serious in the past 6 months or so. Well, today was the first test of all that jogging foolishness. The Winchester-Swann was hosting a 5K "Jingle Bell Run/Walk" to benefit a local charity, so I decided (two days ago) to give it a shot. Well... I did it! I ran the 5K in about 26 minutes. That estimate is within 30 seconds of my actual finish time, but as it was a fun run there was no official timer shouting out finish times, and I forgot to time it on my own watch. Talk about your newbie mistakes... Still, there were quite a few friends from work there, and it was definitely an educational experience. And considering I was expecting a finish time in the neighborhood of 30 minutes - possibly as much as 35 - I am very happy with my results. There are a few more races coming up in the next few months, so I may be posting more times up here soon enough.
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