Mexican Proof Fence

So, if we build a fence at the USA-Mexico border to keep out illegal immigrants, um.... who will build the fence? Golden State Fence might be working themselves out of a job.

Career and Christmas lists

My last post was from Montana and I there is a pretty good story of why I was there and how I got to where I am now. Maybe I'll be able to tell it next weekend when I have more time.

The Porfolio Career

The last couple of weeks I have been in Loma Linda, CA working pretty much non-stop on my thesis. Its amazing the amount of work that goes into one of these things. It has made me wonder why I ever wanted to be a biologist in the first place. I don't really have time to writing a post to my blog, I have a draft due to the Graduate School office on Monday morning, but I have spent half of my day trying to make my figures look nice in Illustrator with little success ("fatal error, not enough memory") and I need a brake.

So I'm not really considering giving up on biology, but I am going to have to think about maintaining a positive cash flow in some way after I graduate. I have recently come across the concept of the "Portfolio Career" which I think may be just for me. It is a term that was coined in the 90's to describe the increasing mobile and decreasingly blue collar American work force. There really are no garaunteed 30 year career type jobs anymore, my father was laid off from Case IH twice. So the portfolio career is more plastic allowing the employee slave individual more control over their schedule and the direction of there cv. In theory it is indivualised, reflecting your interests and personality. Instead of the one job you have multiple part-time and/or temporary positions combined with self employment and profitable hobbies. Actually, a lot of positions I have been seeing in biology are 3-6 months or maybe a year, so this may be for me. It sounds like fun (better than a dreary 40 hour work week), which is why I wanted to become a biologist.

So I've been thinking up the perfect cocktail of profitable/semiprofitable employment for after graduating. I think the ideal portfolio career for me includes the following.

1. 15-20 hrs/week at a semi-stable part-time job with a real employer, preferably with benefits.
• co-op, landscaping, coffee shop (Starbuck offers health insurance to parttime employees)
2. 20-40 hrs/week consulting
• I really enjoy consulting.
3. Run a small research farm
• I am interested in ways to increase profitability for part time farmers in urban and suburban areas.
4. Research - as much as I am hating writing. I still kind of feel a pull towards research.
5. Teaching - I would like teach a class or two at a community college
6. Temporary field work around the country.
7. I would like to work on waterfowl migration tracking and counting in Nebraska
• owl surveys sound fun
• I have a friend that worked with eagles in Arizona
• These are pretty competitive so I just have keep applying until I get one
8. Local issues
• bike paths, public transit, greenways, public gardens

Although, not a requirement of the portfolio career, I think most of the things on my list are related and would contribute to an ecology and sustainability themed CV.

Christmas list

Now of the second part of my post that I wanted to get out to people. Some people have been wondering about what to get me for Christmas. Please don't buy me anything. Jeff has written a very important and informative post about the state of poverty/wealth on this planet. Here is a song i like to illustrate it. That's part of the reason I ask for nothing. Another is that I already have more things than I can carry with me and I really don't want any more things until I have a place to put them.

However, some people can't help themselves so I will provide you with a list of things that I will accept without immediately re-gifting.


Free or almost free things - for friends and family that weren't planning to get me anything but now are because I'm asking you for it:

* Plant a tree for me -- Send me a picture and a location of where the tree is. Try to plant something native to the region you are in. Something that will live 10-20 years


$25-$50 for friends and family that were actually planning to buy me something

* Gift certificate to KIVA.org - A $25 gift certificate here will become part of a micro-loan to a small business owner in a 3rd world country. After 18months, if the loan doesn't go in default. I will be able to withdraw the money or re-loan it to another needy business person.
* A lift ticket to Whistler.


>$50 - This one is for the complete stranger that is feeling generous

* An acre (more or less is fine) of land. Just looking for a place to grow a little food and put my stuff from the last 27 Christmases.
* A job - preferably something like I talked about in the beginning of this post.



Ok, I've wasted enough time. Back to my figures.