MISSION STATEMENT

Hello there!

Welcome to my blog. I have been blogging for about 4 years or so now, in a variety of capacities......you have the drunken college student, the jaded liberal, the music nerd, the gossip, the malcontent....and, occasionally, someone who writes for the sake of writings sake.

When I first started blogging, an (in)famous ex-girlfriend of mine, who had the brutal capacity of constantly speaking her sharpened mind, mentioned to me that I actually have the capacity to occasionally get in a groove and write something worth reading once in a while......about that time, I was incredibly obsessed with Hunter S. Thompson and couldnt help but get influenced by all the crazy shit he would write. An important distinction about Hunter was that not only did he write like a champion, he lived like one, as evidenced by numerous documentaries that have been made about him.

Anyways, Im losing focus here. The ex-girlfriend, knowing my strange obsession with birds, proclaimed "You should be like the Hunter S. Thompson of birds. You could show up at some rare bird wasted and slurring and chainsmoking, write about it and get paid for all of it."

I thought about that idea for a second, but didnt really see how I could seriously make a living off that. Birdwatchers are not exactly known for partying or dealing with off-color humor or having a strong sense for the absurd.....they are more known for having crippling psychological issues and social problems. Trust me, I know.

Although I never really took the thought seriously, there's no reason not to do it for the sake of doing it. I mean, its not like I go out birding with a head full of acid (although I know of a few people much more respected than I who have....), but writing about it from an angle that people just dont write about it is an attractive notion. Pete Dunne is a good writer, but any publication he gets in makes him pander more to octogenarians than anyone who is in.....um...."breeding condition". All part of the brutal ageism that I must battle here.

I dont write about this kind of thing in any other forum......so why not?


A quick background for the uninitiated:

- I have been birding since I have been 12. I am currently 26.

- The only employment Ive ever had has been in the capacity of a wildlife biologist.

- I think birdwatchers are generally ridiculous (myself included) and sometimes amazing people that are worth taking a closer look at.

Alright. Gratuitous bird picture above. This is a male White-eared Hummingbird in Miller Canyon, AZ, back in May....probably the first one seen in the United States this year. The illustrious biologist who we will call "Stilt" spotted it. Truly facemelting.

Anyways.....you get the idea here. Its all an exercise in nerdiness.......but possibly fun nonetheless.

How embarrassing.