Seattle

Now for a post that's actually on time!

I got to nerd out at the Mariott last weekend. There was a Western Society of Naturalists conference up in Seattle, and I got a grant from Reed to go. Basically, its a whole bunch of marine biologists getting together and giving talks about their research. (That is.. by day. By night there is rather more fun and debauchery than I expected out of old people. I guess it bodes well for my future that scientists have fun.) In all, totally awsome.

Things I learned:

Since Boneville Dam holds up the salmon migration, salmon gather in huge numbers at the dam every year, and there are sealions that have learned this and started swimming 200 miles up the Columbia river every year to feast! When the salmon are late, they can pack-hunt and catch full-grown sturgeon (that's like 10-foot long fish), much to the chagrin of local fishermen.

The barnacle has the largest penis-to-body ratio of anything in the animal kingdom.

Deep Sea research is really cool, and REEEEAAALLY expensive. They have meter-wide crabs down there.


I also got to see Ross and Rick, since I didn't visit either of them on my way back from Montana. Ross has an awsome appartment with his girlfriend, on the corner of Bellview, Bellview, and Bellview. The view, needless to say, is pretty. And Rick, being from Seattle, gave a little tour of the city to me and Ginger (another reedie... she's the one in the picture) and James (a cool dude from Berkeley we met). Seattle is a pretty cool town.