Passed

My comps are over. This means I get to keep working. Phew!

I'm finding it very difficult to write something now, because in my head I'm being sarcastic and you can't make a blog sound very sarcastic. I've tried before (I guess, I didn't try very hard) and text just doesn't come across as sarcastic. Too bad, because I'm a pretty sarcastic person. Oh well.

the before-comp weirdness

My comps are next Wednesday 9am. I'm still studying feverishly. Studying so much makes me forget to do simple things. I can't stand too much of it. My brain is so full of whatever that I am always behind or late or confused.

Anyway, besides that we heard our baby's heartbeat again yesterday. The doctor said it sounds very good. The ultrasound is scheduled in a month!

Comps studying

Ok, here I am studying for my comps. Actually taking a short break to write this post. I hope you all notice the La Nina post below. What might happen to you in a weak La Nina? Well, if you live on the Gulf Coast you will see it a bit drier than normal, and if you live in the northern Great Plains and Montana you will see it a bit cooler than normal (yay). In the Pacific Northwest it should be a bit cooler and wetter than normal. These things you can expect for the spring.

Anyway, I was going to write something about the daunting amount of reading I have piled in front of me. I realize it is not really THAT much. It could be worse. I have a binder devoted to climate papers - including Teton specific glacier stuff, other Rocky Mountain glacier stuff, ENSO papers, PDO papers, and decadal-to-millennial scale climate variability stuff. Then there's the geography binder (which is thin) and it has stuff on Western settlement geography, grazing history related to settlement, bioregional history stuff, and a little National Park Service historical geography. I've also read a few books which can't be in the binder. Then there is my vegetation/fire binder which is very thick and it has postglacial vegetation papers mostly from surrounding my area, Western US general veg history, charcoal methods papers, tree-ring methods papers and other tree-ring studies in my area, fire and climate stuff from the Western US, a source-area paper or two, and a copy of the Federal Wildland Fire Management Policy and Guidance Overview. My next binder is just as thick and includes all the papers we read in the Vegetation History class I took, and lastly I have an archaeology binder that includes some random papers of Jackson Hole archaeology and pages copied out of *the* volume on archaeology in the valley. Oh, and last but not least I have to go over my notes from my Quaternary Geology class and go over a glacial and Quaternary geology book to get my bearings in Quaternary geology again. I keep forgetting about that! Ugh!

I have to go over all the old papers I haven't read in a year or 6 months, and finish reading the geography stuff. I'm hoping for January 25th or thereabouts for the test. I think I'll be ready.

Cool climate stuff

NOAA predicts weak La Nina!
This is cool because just last week when we were in Jackson, WY, and a bunch of moisture was happening in CA and a bunch of fires were happening in OK, TX and NM, I was wondering if this year will be a La Nina or an El Nino. And, I'm studying up on ENSO for my comps, so I'm all into this stuff.

School, again

I hope everyone had a good holiday and that you all got a chance to do something you wanted to.

Today: back to school. Not really for me though, since I only have classes on Monday and Fridays. I am TAing though, so that all gets figured out this week.

I don't have much to say because my brain is packed with things for my comprehensive exam. I studied all break, and I'm still studying. I just really want to get them over with! Very soon. Then maybe I can concentrate on finishing. Heh, fat chance!

2nd doctor's appointment next week! Ultrasound is coming up soon.