RADIO LAB!

My favorite new NPR show as of late is Radio Lab. I heard it on This American Life a few weeks ago and downloaded the podcast. I love it. They only make 5 shows a season but they are so good. The episodes are funny, smart and entertaining and have great sound effects!

The premise of the show is they take a topic and explore using science. Today I listened to 2 shows at work, Placebo and Sleep.

The Placebo episode explores the history of placebo research. One of the stories explores when a solder in war gets shot their pain levels are less than when a person in society gets shot. Listen to the episode to find out why.

The Sleep episode explores the evolution of sleep and sleep research on animals. Did you know that dolphins rests one half of their brains at a time. so cool

So download the podcasts and listen when you get a chance. I am sure you will not be disappointed!

wait, you have a blog?

well then why was your last post way back in August? Why are you slacking on your blog? How come no sweet plant photos? What gives?

I am busy. Simple as that. I have been working long hours in the field, helping to plan a wedding, and over the past few weeks have been hunting for an apartment. From the look of things, so has the rest of the San Francisco. I have never visited craigslist so frequently on a daily basis in my life. Apartment hunting is a full time job in itself, with remembering open house dates, phone numbers, rents and realty names and addresses. Whole weekends were lost driving to open houses jut to find out they were dumps, and still 25 people were fighting over them. Morale was low. We got so sick of getting passed over we created a rental packet, complete with a generic application, credit reports and a cover letter with our contact info on it, all bound in a nice report folder.

If anyone out there is searching for an apartment, this is the way to go. People are impressed you went through the trouble and the rental packet makes you stand out. I don't want to jinx anything but I believe by Monday, our search will be over. More details to come.

I hope things slow down soon so I can update my blog more regularly in the future. I believe that it will.

so this weeks PLANT OF THE WEEK is the sunflower. I know, I know, i knew this one already but I did not know this flower is Helianthus annuus which is native to California. This flower is a member of the Asteraceae or sunflower family, with all members having a composite of smaller flowers. This family is the largest in California but the second largest in the world behind Orchidaceae.

I took this photo in a huge field of sunflowers. They were pretty. This flower is another great photography flower because of the contrasting colors. I need a digital SLR!!!

The office

Thanks again Cindy for another great online quiz! you rock! I think the description is true, I am a bit awkward sometimes. I need to work on that!

Which Office Character Are You?
	You are part Michael. Deep down, you are caring and good-natured, but you often express yourself in insensitive ways. Though you always try your hardest to make your talents be seen, you could use a little more self-awareness to avoid being awkward.
	You are part Jim. You are personable, easy-going, and always socially aware. Your great sense of humor and impishness soften the blow of what might otherwise be a dark, cutting cynicism.
Find Your Character @ BrainFall.com

Many plants this week...

Life has been crazy! I have been working long hours in the field (10+) and have not had a chance to update my blog. We are busy and I have been shuttling around the bay area which is good since the one site I was at last week was devoid of plant life.

I did find this small mustard, Lobularia maritima, an introduced plant native to the Mediterranean. The common name is sweet alyssum and is supposed to have a sweet smell to them which is where they got their name.

Brassicaceae can be a hard family to key out if you do not have fruits. The first major key break asks if the fruits are longer than wide and goes from there. Luckily there were fruits on the plant and the rest of the key was easy. I forgot to smell the flowers to see if they are in fact sweet.
My next plant is a member of the pea family Fabaceae. Lotus corniculatus or more commonly, birdfoot trefoil is also a non-native plant in California. This plant hails from Eurasia and is found throughout California on account it is used for livestock feeding and crop rotation.
I have seen this plant all over the bay area but was also afraid to key it out. Fabaceae can also be a hard key to work on account of the sheer numbers of plant species but I was bored one day watching construction workers so I gave it a shot. Not that bad at all.
What separates this plant out from the hundreds of other Lotus species is the distinct leaf. The leaf has 5 leaflets but 2 reduced and stipular in position. This means that the 2 bottom leaflets are found at the base of the leaf and not on the petiole. Very distinctive.
One of the last flowers I have encountered and collected this week is one of my favorites. I collected this plant in a shady riparian area at one of the work sites. I love this area because it is shady and cool while the rest of the site is hot, hot, hot. In this little oasis, the native (finally) Mimulus cardinalis grows in abundance.

I first saw this flower growing in this creek bed way back in May and every time I walk thorough this area the plants are still flowering. There is plenty of water in the creek and it is nice and shady, a great place to grow! I finally collected some this week.
My last plant of the week is a fake mum. At the windowsill on the 6th floor of the academy, someone brought a few fake mums in and placed them by the window. I was bored from working on my thesis so I took a few shots.
we have a great view of the city from the 6th floor...

Plant of the week... slim pickings

For the past few weeks I have been working in Pacifica. Our site does not have a wide diversity of plant life which makes my plant segment hard to do. Luckily I found this shrub.
Ceanothus thyrsiflorus or blue blossom. This big shrub is a member of the Rhamnaceae family.
One way to distinguish this shrub from others out there is the prominent veins characteristic found on the underside of the leaf. As seen below, there are 3 major parallel leaf veins which are raised and distinct.
Ceanothus flowers are also distinct and can aid in identification. They usually form a panicle and are often blue. The stamens (male parts) are opposite the petals which you can see from this photos I stole from the Internet.
Here is a photo of a cluster of fruits. Not that exciting but like I said, there is not much growing out there. Luckily I can stare at the ocean!
Hopefully this project will be done soon so I can find a site with a diverse flora!

kites...

I stopped at Ocean Beach on the way home from work yesterday. It was almost a nice day. Kind of cold due to the fierce winds but perfect for kite flying!
I have not flown a kite in quite some time. I thing there has been some breakthroughs in kite technology because the flier had a two handle contraption. Also, long tails on the kite. Perfect for doing tricks!
There were about 4 kites going. They were all moving around and it was fun to watch. I am glad I went home this way!
also, I think I want one!

Potter Mania...

Friday night bets and I headed to the Castro to procure a copy of the new deathly hallows...
First we needed some nourishment in the form of a large cup of hot chocolate.
Sweet inspirations has all you could ever want, cake, pie, gelato, and other various treats.
We realized that it was 11:15 on Bets phone so we left Sweet inspirations for the bookstore. Bets has a nice phone!
Books Inc. was having a Harry Potter Party and I was stoked because I wanted to see dorks in costumes. In SF one really doesn't need to wait for Halloween to dress up. Why anyone can dress up as any current event...
Here was dolores umbridge walking around giving detention to all the bad people in line...
luckily we were sorted into Hufflepuff house so we did not get in trouble. I was stoked to be sorted in this house because, duh, botany.
Bets was bummed. She wanted Slytherin because, evil.

We waited in line for about 45 minutes in a hot stuffy store that was totally crowded. it sucked I had to say and at times we questioned our plan to get the book on opening night. I am sure they are everywhere now and no lines! Luckily there were other books around and we passed the time.
At 12am, pandemonium hit. people went nuts, but there was no stampede! We got our books and walked home to read chapter 1! The wait was over.

I finish the book last night. So good. anyone want to talk about it?? send me an email.