A Wandering WeyrCat...

Florida Atlantic University's College of Science Research Day is hosted by the College of Science Graduate Association. Staffed by the CSGA volunteers and a very dedicated staff member, the day highlights both the graduate and undergraduate research of FAU's science students! There were 58 graduate posters and 13 undergraduate posters registered, in disciplines ranging from mathematics to environmental science. We had 11 first year graduate students presenting posters! This was my second year as Volunteer Captain and the volunteer turnout was amazing! I had a great time working with all the volunteers, meeting the presenters, talking to judges, and even got interviewed about Graduate Research Day! It was our first year in the new venue, air conditioned and a little larger it allowed for a little more comfort. Still, with the popularity of Research Day, we might already be outgrowing the space! My only regret is that I didn't get to read more of the posters this

A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin My rating: 4 of 5 stars Holy crow. Though I'm starting to get used to the weird overtone of rape-for-all-the-women in the book, it did die down a bit and give itself back to the awesome battles and weird overarching theme. Enticingly written, intriguing characters, real character development. I really like it. View all my reviews

This post requires no working knowledge of the Lord of the Rings series, but does make mention of names and places. Mainly, it's about walking. A lot. I closed out the April PT log and found I had completed my 912 mile goal (running, waking, biking) to walk "Fellowship of the Ring". I started this journey 2013 July 21. It's the second "Hobbit walk" I've completed, having done "The Hobbit" in 2012-2013. At this point in the story, the Fellowship has broken,  Boromir is slain, Pippin and Merry are captured by orcs, and Aragorn, Legless Lego Legolas and Gimli return to Parth Gelen. (Note, I did not "rewalk" the trip from Hobbiton to Rivendell. It would have been too boring. The 912 includes the 629 from Hobbit plus 61 miles unaccounted for by the people who originally compiled the miles for the Walks I'm basing my mileage on.) The trek is broken down into shorter goals, usually bookmarked by events in the book (443 miles