HOLD UP. YOU GUYS. I thought Friday’s post would be it for Colin’s 15 minutes of fame, but then this happened: Wait Wait... Don’t Tell Me! joked about his research, and Tom Bodett could barely breathe he was laughing so hard, and Faith Salie compared Colin’s flying lizards to Tom Cruise hanging off the … Continue reading Wait wait… there’s more!
Fieldwork
Lizards everywhere
Hey guys! I'm taking a quick break from my regularly scheduled Life in Paris programming to announce that Colin's lizards are literally taking over the world... at least by internet. He published a paper in the journal Nature [paywall] this week, and ever since the press release went out he's been doing media interviews left and … Continue reading Lizards everywhere
By the numbers
Hey guys! Hello! Hello? ... Anyone still there? I never intended to take such a long break from blogging, but I guess that's what happens when you work sunrise-to-sunset as a field assistant for three weeks, then your mom falls in love with Paris and decides she's going to move in with you forever but … Continue reading By the numbers
Catching lizards and catching up
What a whirlwind the last month has been! As I alluded to earlier, my mom has the stamina of a marathoner when it comes to sightseeing, so we crammed about four weeks' worth of touring into two, and with all the back-and-forth to Greece, I've now been to the airport five times in the last … Continue reading Catching lizards and catching up
Reptilian invasion
After three weeks of full-time lizard catching, I'm now seeing little lizards everywhere... including at the Louvre. I was extra pleased to see that this young herpetologist-in-training is female. 1822 must have been a good year for gender equality. Unfortunately the lizard she's holding is dead, but I like to think she's gazing at it … Continue reading Reptilian invasion
Leapin’ lizards, we’re done!
Update from the field: we’re done! I can now say that my first foray into field ecology was a success, and I earned rave reviews from the boss on my lizard-catching and lizard-spotting abilities. Also: fieldwork is hard. I tease Colin all the time about his plush job, in which he kayaks to deserted islands … Continue reading Leapin’ lizards, we’re done!
Home away from home away from home
We made it to Greece! I’m currently writing this from Cafe Kitron on the island of Naxos in the Cyclades. Stepping off the ferry from Athens last night felt a little like coming home, or, I guess, home away from home away from home. Colin has been coming to Naxos for seven summers now (you … Continue reading Home away from home away from home
Fête du Muguet
Happy belated Fête du Muguet! In addition to being France's Labor Day, May 1st is also Fête du Muguet, or Lily of the Valley Day, when people give small bouquets of Lily of the Valley to friends and family to show their love and appreciation and to wish them bonne chance for the year ahead. I love this! As … Continue reading Fête du Muguet
Flying!
On Friday afternoon, I dropped Colin and his two fellow researchers at the helipad for their weeklong trip to Redonda. They had crammed the rental car full of supplies, including a week's worth of food and water, tents, sleeping pads, a giant golf cart battery to power various pieces of science equipment, fishing lizard-catching poles, and … Continue reading Flying!
Airports
All the traveling I've been doing lately - most recently to Antigua - plus the three trips I made to the airport in the last two days to pick up Colin's research crew got me thinking. The ultimate indignity of international travel is this: after a day or more of travel, you finally walk out of … Continue reading Airports
Practice Makes Parfait 