Stone Family Blog: February 2007

Wednesday, February 28, 2007

Stadium

Wow, this school obviously values sports above all else.

Watch out!

I think this bird was trying to warm me i was about to get bit by something for sneaking up to photograph him.

An alligator!

I found one, but you probably can't see it. Oh well, mission accomplished. :)

The entire nature trail was pretty desolate. I seemed to be the only one enjoying a hike through the deserted area. Until I came to an observation portion of the wooden sidewalk. At the end of it was a guy, all alone, who seemed very startled that someone else had made it out that far. I'm not sure what exactly he was up to, but he obviously didn't like being discovered. I turned tail and headed back out, if he didn't want someone else seeing what he was up to, chances are that I didn't want to see it either.

The jungle

It's my last free evening here, so i'm back on campus. This is a nature trail by alice lake.

Tuesday, February 27, 2007

What does this button do?

There are there buttons on the side of the shifter and i can't figure out what they do. I've pushed them a lot with no results. I'd like to think I've been releasing an oil slick behind me all day. :)

Hi Drew!

I miss you!

Florida sunset

Well, i wasn't on a beach, but i guess this a passable substitute. Taken from the wildlife observation deck.

Spanish moss

Now this was cool looking. A whole forest of this.

Bison?

This was at a trailhead i took a little hike on. Too bad it was false advertising, i didn't see a single bison.

Southern hospitality

This is a cool little tree park by the pond, and there was one lady by herself out here. I tried to have lunch with another guy in the class from Georgia, who wasn't interested in conversation. He told me he was designing roads before i was born. I'm not sure if that was an insult or not, but he inadvertedly let slip that he also knows little to none about computer systems. If he was trying to intimidate me, he didn't do a very good job of it. At least Scott, who sits next to me in class is friendly. He told me where to find some gators. If I never post again, you'll know it was good advice.

A snake!

I thought i saw a big snake in the pond, so like an idiot, i went in for a closer look. Turns out it was a freshly shed skin. Still a cool find.

Lunch break

It was a productive morning, even if i barely slept last night. The class is very interesting, so that and coffee kept me awake. This is a pond outside the office.

Monday, February 26, 2007

Infected reference!

The picture is so bad, it's probably not even visible. But that red blur there is a Shonees restaurant, same as 'the gator' likes talking about. I hear that if you mention Martin Sargent's name 3 times, he'll post a comment in your blog. Ooooh...

A lion?

This was right in the middle of campus. The sign behind it said that some fraternity supported the gator party.

Okay, last gator reference

I promise! It's a sign that says that if you swim here, you're guaranteed a bloody, quick death.

The pond bird

It was some sort of stork or heron. After i took his picture, he walked across the water. I was hoping a gator would jump up and grab him, but no such luck.

Evening sky

It was about 3 in sacramento when i took this, but almost dark here. The time shift is really strange for me.

Alice lake

Nice lake, but i didn't find any alligators yet.

Palm trees

This is where i parked when i started walking around the university of florida.

My ride

It's a Malibu, and not too bad. It's big for a compact, but still pretty fun and speedy.

Over florida

Even though i had my phone in 'flight mode', i still got in trouble with the flight attendant for having it on, and i didn't feel like explaining it to her. The plane was loud and cramped. Good thing it was a short flight.

The next plane

This is what i'm currently sitting in waiting to leave for florida. It had some mechanical issues which delayed the take-off, something that always makes you feel safe. The plane in sac had similar issues, and i was afraid i wouldn't make the connect, but a little luck and a tailwind and everything was okay.

Atlanta from the top down

It would have been nice to explore the city from the ground, since it looked very interesting from the air. The suburbs look very different from california, as everyone gives themselves a lot more room to live in here, with much bigger yards. The city seemed to be broken into several downtown areas, with two distinct clusters of skyscrapers. Landing is my favorite part of flying, since you can see real detail on the land as you descend in altitude.

Alabama

Most of the flight was clouds, so i tried to get a few land shots when i could. I missed out on quite a few nice snow shots on the west coast, in between overcast skies.

Kansas

I couldn't publish flight photos until i touched down in atlanta, so now i'm catching up.

For Amy

I love you so much! What a nice surprise. :-*

From the plane

The window is wet, so it's hard to see out. The picture is of the parking structure.

The line

The line to go through the security check was insane, it stretched back to the parking garage. I was a couple spots back from only what i could was assume was some famous rapper. He was wearing a huge fur coat with sequined shoes, sequined ny baseball hat, and a huge gold microphone on a gold chain around his neck. I didn't recognize him, but figured taking his picture without his permission might be rude, and it might upset him to ask if he was famous, or just enjoyed dressing strangely. Now i'm just waiting for my plane to board, i have another hour. I'm glad i showed up early, i'd hate to see the huge security line if i were already running late.