Phosphorous and 40 hours to go

I breathe in. I breathe out. It's just past midnight and I've been contemplating the differences in available phosphorous between molisols of a grassland and oxisols of the tropics. Dr. Gail Wilson sure knows how to write a challenging biogeochemistry final exam. I walked back to my residence on campus which is only 10 minutes away from my office. If I was wearing a Lotek GPS collar, my minimum convex polygon representing my home range and my kernel density estimate would be within a 500m triangular area of the depanneur/7-11, my bedroom and Ag. Hall. Dr. Bob Fenimore (veterinarian and long time family friend) and Greg Anderson (formerly provinical manager of the Ecosystem Restoration program and recently retired from the BC Forest Service as well as a mentor and good friend to me) told me 2 things:
1. "Ass in seat" - Bob Fenimore in reference to working hard, being studious and doing my work
2. "Treat it like a job" - Greg Anderson in reference to working hard, being studious and doing my work!
And I can tell both of y'all that in fact, that's what I've done this past semester and while I was walking back just now, I realized that may be the key to success as a graduate student - hard work and dedication.

My good friend Dan Dvorett, a recent PhD candidate who has just completed his Masters, hosted the annual Zoology-NREM crawfish boil at his place outside of Stillwater. I went for a couple hours to break up my final exam writing and got the opportunity to visit with my fellow grad students who have become very good friends to me. And when it was time to come back to my small home range, I realized I was sad to say good bye to these folks. It is an honour to be surrounded by some of the brightest and academically inclined folks around. People who are kind, respectful, nice and just down right good. So thank y'all all y'all for giving to me great friendship, comradery and community. You are good people and I'm honoured to know y'all.