Back in the water

I borrowed a recipe for bánh mì from Menu In Progress, using chicken instead of pâté . Came out pretty well! Not nearly as good as Saigon Sandwiches in SF or K's Sandwiches in SD (both big winners in my book), but still pretty good. It's easier than you think - give it a shot. The hardest part is getting really good bread.

Finally I'm getting back to diving! I dove La Jolla Cove a couple of times over the last week. For those that haven't been: It's a mix of rocky reef and sandy bottom with towering kelps, diverse macroalgae, and dense seagrass (the surfgrass Phyllospadix spp.). We saw fishes including bright orange garibaldi, kelp bass, sheephead, fluorescent blue banded goby, barred sand bass, sculpin, and jacksmelt. More interesting, in my opinion, are the invertebrates! There were loads of California spiny lobsters and purple urchins. We also came across other inverts, including (the more-delicious) red urchins, sheep crabs, keyhole limpets, nudibranchs, and a group of four mating giant black sea hares. Kinky, I know.

Here are some pictures from my latest dive, courtesy of some new friends with the UCSD Dive Club:

Upclose and personal with a sea star













Beautiful coral polyps













Our fearless leader goofing off with a kelp holdfast















A mating mess of sea hares















A gorgeous nudibranch













The author, pretending to be hardcore...
















...and playing with a sheep crab

One year down, four to go...?

Woo!! Last week we, the new cohort of graduate students, finished our first year of grad school. What a relief! It will be good to take a break from classes for a few months to focus on research. While this year was just the first step in a long process, it is a great feeling of accomplishment. Some say grad school is like walking down a long tunnel with no light at the end. Others say it's like staring into a high-powered flashlight for several years (only more expensive). Either way, stress relief was needed. The exam was over at 3pm and drinking began promptly at 5pm. Enough said.

This past weekend was a good one. On Friday one labmate celebrated finishing her masters (congrats!) while another kicked off her 21st birthday festivities. Saturday I attempted to surf at Del Mar Dog Beach. The sun was shining and the water was warm. I got up once or twice and took a handful of nose-dives. Eating it on a longboard feels sort of like being in a giant salty washing machine, blindfolded, with a log tied to your ankle. Good times :) The night ended with a bonfire in OB, which was fun until our site was flooded. Always remember to check your tide chart! Some bohemian "music makers" joined our group and banged their drums for a little while. Ohhh... only in OB.

Scruffy McMuffy, the avid hook-and-bullet ecologist, speared some kelp bass and was generous enough to share the spoils of his hunt. He fried up some of the freshest and most delicious fish tacos I've ever had. And hey, its locally-caught and sustainable! Mmmmm, a conservation carnivore's perfect match.

Beautiful raw ingredients...













... splattering, spattering, deep-frying fishies...













... and the finished product.

More Mexican food and signs of summer

My second visit to El Zarape was another success. What a fantastic little Mexican restaurant! We did seafood tacos - scallop, spiny lobster, and battered fish (probably pollock or cod). The food was flavorful, but not overly fishy... although I'd suggest getting sauce on the side. It's heavy, creamy, and tended to mask the flavor of the meat. This spot is incredibly cheap - can't beat 99 cent fish tacos! Ask for chips (they're free) and try out some of the really tasty salsas. Be sure to grab a seat outside and soak up a little San Diego sunshine while you eat. Two thumbs up!













Although summer will not hit for another month or so, there are signs that it is on its way. Granted, it is pretty difficult to distinguish the seasons here in San Diego. But, I saw corn on the cob being sold for the first time at the grocery store this week (5 cobs for $1 at Henry's Market). Try it on the grill with a little salt, pepper, and olive oil/butter. I'm excited for all that summer will bring, especially taking a break from courses to get out in the field and do a little diving!

A food blog?

I promised to talk about food and, science-willing, there will be talk of food! Tonight I took a break from end-of-semester work to try out a new restaurant with some fellow SDSU grads who I suspect needed to decompress just as bad as me. This particular taqueria, called Mama Testa, gets a lot of buzz on places like Chowhound and is supposedly one of the better places to grab a taco in San Diego. It's a small joint, but bright and colorful. There are about a dozen eclectic salsas to try while waiting for your food. I ordered a trio of tacos with cochinita pibil, a marinated shredded pork traditional toYucatan, and topped with bright-purple pickled onions. I hadn't tried this before, but it was excellent! Really delicious. On the whole, we decided to give this place a thumbs up, even though it is a bit Americanized. They serve a number of vegetarian dishes, rare for a taqueria and nice for my herbivorous friends. There are probably cheaper, more authentic Mexican spots in San Diego, but this place isn't too bad. I'd go back.

The Incredible V stopped by on her way home from the grocery store - a pleasant surprise. Seeing as we were right next door to the Alibi, ...well, of course, Pacific Bell and I decided we had to get a drink! Black-and-tan was the mood over conversation of the ups and downs of an academic career. That and how Big Buck Hunter is a pretty ridiculous arcade game.

Numero uno

So, what a perfect time to start a blog... With the abundant free time that grad school allows I should have plenty of time for this. But, I figure this will be a nice place for reflection and release, in addition to being a way to keep track of the events of my life (especially for distant friends and family).

What, oh faithful reader, can you expect? Firstly, a good dose of science, as I fancy myself a marine ecologist (or at least on my way). I'm working on my PhD in a joint-doctoral program run between San Diego State University and UC Davis. You should be able to find me splitting my time between the two. You will read about the fantastic people I have been fortunate enough to work with during my career. As a biologist and conservationist, I'm pretty fond of the environment, so documented hikes, camping trips, and other outdoor excursions will find their way into this digital space.

I also love travel and new experiences, so count on quite a bit of that. Of course, I don't travel as much as I'd like to, but that is what research trips are for, right? I'm well addicted to tasty food, so expect a recipe or restaurant review here or there. Beer and wine are good, too.

You should hear a bit about the people in my life. I have some pretty awesome friends, some here on the left coast, several in Ohio, a handful in Delaware, and other scattered across the globe. If you are lucky enough to be one of them, be warned - there will be an embarrassing photo of you on here sooner or later. Oh and I have an incredible family, so their lives will weave in and out of this storyline that I call my life.

Of course there will be all kinds of unexpected sidebars, rantings, and ramblings. You might even get a thoughtful political commentary here and there. Yes - all this a grad student budget!