Over the past week most of the UGA community has been reeling from the sudden and tragic loss (within 24 hours) of two young people on campus-- including one via apparently random violence that has left many with a shaken feeling of safety in spaces where they were once comfortable.

We officially have a second adventure cat on our hands!

#NoahCat

#NewtCat watching a squirrel across the yard

Established academics will often be like "don't compare yourself to others, everyone has their own path" but then basically everything in academia is set up as a competition: you're competing for grad positions, grants/scholarships/fellowships, awards/recognition, jobs afterwards...

Oh heyyyy, v. small portion of connections from the "X" (LOL) place/have likely also seen this Q. there (bc I haven't yet put in the solid time/effort need to re-find all the cool folks around these parts)

Summary: y'all have any recs/the opposite, for options to transport a car across states?

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Um hey do jumping #spiders sometimes play dead of startled/disturbed?🤞 I was very gently helping this darling buddy off my bathroom ceiling when it very suddenly fell into the container as if dead, but I could see no way I might've inadvertently injured it. I'm really hoping it's ok now?? 🥺

I'm always fascinated by people who are totally freaked out by the fact that wildlife are just existing, *outdoors.*

I totally get that having a snake/bat/rodent/some flavor of invert, IN the home, is decidedly less than ideal for most folks.

But your *yard* being "infested" with spiders..? 🤨

Cringing at advice I'm being seen given to someone looking for wildlife-y grad programs,

including:
- cold-emailing is waste of time
- you prob. need your own outside funding lined up
- volunteering with a lab is vital
- posted grad positions are from loser profs who no students want to talk to

Just in case anyone's ever wondered where most of me comes from, it's my dad. I mean, my mom isn't *anti* animals and nature stuff, but when as an adult I'd call my parents, it was always my dad who'd tell me about the opossum or rabbit seen in their driveway, or ask about a bird he saw.

Just submitted commendations for a couple staff members who were notably awesome, related to a flight I took a few weeks ago.

So, just a reminder to take note of rad folks' names/date & details (phone notes apps are handy in the moment) & then actually get around to sending them.

....wait THERE'S A SEASON 2?!

(Yes hello, I'm a 6th year PhD student & extremely disconnected from all the good media happenings 😄)

Related, I just recently read Good Omens & can now attest that the show (based on season 1 that I'd watched a while back) is an extremely good rendition of the book

Aw, I just learned that this site doesn't yet support videos!

Anyhow, I renovated my #beetle Janie's home (new substrate, moving some of her "furnishings") and when giving her dinner at the time, was able to get a good clip of her nomming on a grape 😊 (pic is a frame from that)

#inverts #insects

Have been teaching myself to #crochet over the past month or so. Am learning that I do not have the attention span to consistently count to 14? 😂 Hence this #frog's somewhat wonky leg lengths. (Arms & mouth still to come)

(Also feat. a supervising & curious #NoahCat)

Opted in to semester health fee (few days ago); can't pay it then, it posts to your account.

Fee posted to account yesterday; I get email today warning of looming late fees.

...This school has been WEEKS late in paying me my life-supporting income, at least 2x in 5 years. 🙄 They may need to chill.

Bc some people from the other place probably know my cats better than my handle 😄 Yes, I'm #NewtCat and #NoahCat's human, they'll visit here too

Who's good at jumping #spider ID? I encountered both these cuties a few weeks ago, at a cottage on a small lake in West Michigan (near Muskegon), U.S.-- no luck ID-ing so far!

#inverts #arachnids

Saw one of my niblings flipping through this book at the cottage my family was at recently, and I especially got excited after going over to look at it with them. It's oddly named (#amphibians altogether, not just #frogs!) but has lovely illustrations & solid info on each critter! 😃