Marine Life

Okay, blog. Okay. I honestly don't have too much time to write today. Because after looking at everything, I've realized it will be most beneficial for me to try to finish at least the rough draft of my part of our shark fisheries literature review paper before this weekend. Which means I have tonight and tomorrow evening/night to work on it. Plus Friday morning, but you know. That way I have this weekend and the nights next week to work on my Communications paper. With any luck actually, I will be done with the rough draft of this first paper by tomorrow night so that I have Friday morning to read articles for my Communications paper and my marine biology lab presentation. Yep. 


So I just need to sit down over the next 3 hours and write some of this paper. I think I should be okay. I have tea. I have an apple. (And the apple smells sooooooooooo good. Mmm.....apples.) I have my music. I am going to CLOSE TUMBLR AND FACEBOOK. Just keep open OneNote and Word and Pandora and get some of this done. Yeah.


Wooooooooo. 


This is my exciting life in the last 2.5 weeks of the semester, friends. So. Much. Fun.


Anyway, though, this morning we went on our final class snorkel in Waikiki. I had a lot of fun. I got separated from my group for the majority of the time. Previously, this would have freaked me out an awful lot, but I'm experienced now that I was just like, "Meh. Whatever. I'll be okay. Just keep swimming. Oooooo, look at the giant humus!" 


Seriously, though. All of the fish in this area were so big. From the trumpetfish we saw at the very beginning and the bonefish at the end, the parrotfish, convict tangs, unicornfish, wrasse, humus, etc were SO big. There wasn't a ton of coral, and a lot of algae, which probably helped these fish grow so big because they have lots of yummy (?) algae to feed on. It was also just exciting because I could finally really identify the fish, even down to their scientific names in some cases due to all of the hard studying I've been doing.


It's funny, because at the beginning of the semester I was being super hard on myself because I'd never really been snorkeling and hence didn't have much experience identifying fish. And look at me now. Cruising along on my own snorkeling with some giant fish, excitedly naming them and chasing after them. It's kind of amazing. I'm looking forward to my next three years studying marine biology here, and hopefully I continue to snorkel a lot even though it won't be part of my classes for a little while again.


So. Here's some marine life pictures taken by the lovely Keoki Stender. I'm going to do a short bit of yoga to relax, shower, and then eat this apple/drink this tea while I get to work writing. Yes. And hopefully be in bed by 2:30 (3 hours from now).

Shortjaw bonefish (Albula glossodonta)

 Blacktip reef shark (favorite! Carcharhinus melanopterus)

Humu hiding in a hole! (Reef triggerfish/Rhinecanthus rectangulus)

Cheers!


Inspirational quote/photo of the day: "Go out and do something. It isn’t your room that’s a prison, it’s yourself."— Sylvia Plath
Word of the day: barnburner--something that is highly exciting or impressive