Visiting the Alma Mater

We're in Davis this week for various work-related tasks. On Tuesday I gave a seminar promoting research in the NPS at UCD. On Wednesday AM I sat in on a panel on conservation decision-making in governmental organizations and Wednesday afternoon I gave a short talk on the Californian CESU to the board of the UC natural reserve system.

I had today off and had the pleasure of spending the morning with Mandy Tu (of UW, UCD and TNC invasive species world dominance fame), her daughter Linnea, and Mona Robison (of Invasive Species Research Needs fame). We all met up at the Sacramento zoo and then went and had lunch at Mona's house. It was great fun to see everyone and the whole brigham-allen clan had a blast. I am, of course, extremely peeved that TNC canned its national invasive species program. Once again demonstrating that their scientific planning prowess is lacking in long-term vision. Mandy is still looking for the right organization to lend her brilliance to but she has a lot of great contracts going and is baking bread, making yogurt, doing yoga and taking care of Linnea. So I guess she is pretty darn busy after all.

Mona has a fabulous house in Sacramento with both a swimming pool and a bunny rabbit. So we all had a blast there. We also got to spend some time with Christopher Cassels in the van rides over and back and at the Mona swimming pool extravaganza. Christopher was the awesome Uncle figure who spent an hour retrieving things from the bottom of the pool much to Lucy and Josie's delight.

It is odd, as always, to be in Davis. It is a lovely town and the weather has been great (warm but not too hot). But still, somehow being here always brings out the paranoid insecure me. For that reason alone I wouldn't want to live here. Although I'm sure several thousands of dollars in therapy could get me past all that.

I'm working again tomorrow (off to a restoration ecology workshop) and then hopefully on Saturday I'll get to run by Bogeys Books, Sweet Briar, the food coop and the nugget grocery store before we head home on Sunday.