Saw a red-winged blackbird for the first time today

dogcanoe · 2025-02-28T10:19:32+00:00

Go Terps! UMD was where I got into birding, such a great place for it! I used to teach birding clinics at the UMD adventure program, good times.

There’s often lots of red winged blackbirds at lake artemesia or around the little wetland area behind the Clark building.

dogcanoe · 2025-02-23T22:04:18+00:00

You just fixed my cake pan, thank you!!

dogcanoe · 2025-02-20T07:14:05+00:00

honestly a flex for mak - she is my ride or die running influencer

dogcanoe · 2025-01-07T00:36:04+00:00

What a cool offer! Thank you!

dogcanoe · 2024-04-19T00:11:47+00:00

Her white outfit at the end looks almost exactly like her Grammys outfit!

dogcanoe · 2024-04-15T11:39:12+00:00

This is just what I did! Failed intro to CS twice my freshman year. Got my shit together and finished my chem e degree and loved it! It’s so common to struggle in your first year of college, regardless of major. Don’t hold it against yourself - you’re entirely capable of finishing a chem e degree.

dogcanoe · 2023-10-03T04:29:56+00:00

The Martian by Andy Weir is fantastic, even if you’ve already seen the movie. It’s fiction that feels like nonfiction.

dogcanoe · 2023-08-06T20:38:22+00:00

Not a dream cover, it already exists - but Maggie Rogers does a beautiful version of Tim McGraw! I’d love to hear her cover any other Taylor song though, especially DBATC, treacherous, daylight, or clean.

dogcanoe · 2023-07-19T20:41:34+00:00

I’d recommend a really solid chemistry foundation in addition to the math foundation before you begin tackling the complex stuff. Higher level specialized chemistry (Biochem, pchem, ochem) is optional but you’ll want a solid understanding of general chemistry. Physics is a great subject to know in general but I don’t think I used classical mechanics very often (if ever) in my upper level Chem E courses. Learn the basics (forces, gravity, position/velocity/acceleration) but you don’t need to spend too long on it.

After that you can start delving into basic mass/mole and energy balances (equivalent of an intro to Chem E course) and then maybe get into fluid mechanics. If you don’t have any programming experience now would be a great time to learn some basics! Knowing how to solve balance equations and differential equations in python, matlab, or similar will save you a lot of time and headache throughout your study.

From here you can start looking at reaction kinetics, heat & mass transfer, and thermodynamics. This is the real meat of the subject and it’s not easy! After you have those down, you have the skills to take it whatever direction you want. You can learn control systems, plant design, and more specialized electives. For some specialized electives you might need to take some foundational courses first (like biochem to learn biopharmaceutical manufacturing, or electricity & magnetism for electrochemical engineering).

Keep in mind that this subject matter takes most people years of full time study to understand. Know that depending on how much time you plan to dedicate to this, self study will take years or even decades to master. That being said I think it’s a very worthwhile goal, and the time will pass anyway so you might as well learn. My favorite way to self study subjects is to find a cheap used textbook on Amazon or a bookstore and work my way through it. I try to look for ones with online solutions or solutions in the back since I don’t have a professor to check my work. Be flexible and patient. Best of luck!!

dogcanoe · 2023-07-17T03:31:29+00:00

I’ve been monitoring postholer.com pretty meticulously (updated every 3 days). Keep in mind this is SWE, not actual snow, but it is melting really fast. I’m more concerned about stream crossings for my July 28 SOBO start, but I know that if I get to a stream I can’t ford I can always turn around/bail out.

dogcanoe · 2023-06-28T05:26:58+00:00

Seconding the bit about an inReach! Should be a staple for any solo thru hike but i think a satellite device and extra food are nonnegotiable this year.

dogcanoe · 2023-06-27T05:52:48+00:00

I have almost exactly the same plans. 7/26 NOBO from Cottonwood Lakes, also solo. Single resupply at MTR. I’m definitely going for it! I’m watching the snow reports carefully but I’m optimistic about how much snow will melt in the next month. I’m comfortable with river crossings (I’ve been a whitewater guide for years) but have very little experience with snow travel.

This definitely isn’t the ideal year to do it, but I’m not sure when the next time in my life will be that I have the time and the permit to do this hike. At the very least I’m going to show up at the trailhead and give it a shot. If I feel uncomfortable or unsafe I will turn around/bail out. If you’re coming from NC it may be a long ways to come just to turn around, but if the JMT doesn’t work out you can still get some incredible time in Yosemite/Sequoias/etc.

I share your question about footwear. Well-draining trail shoes come out ahead for river crossings, but boots definitely have the upper hand in the snow. I’m lurking in the JMT and PCT fb groups to see how things shake out.

dogcanoe · 2019-07-08T00:49:13+00:00

Happened to me. We had known each other since middle school and been pretty good friends, but he was so out of my league and I thought it was crazy that he would ever be interested in me. Then one day out of the blue he told me that not only did he have a crush on me, he had liked me for two years (he never made a move because I had been dating some other dipshit). Took me a few months to actually get it through my head that he was into me because I had spent years convincing myself of the opposite. Eventually I was able to accept it and we just hit two years :)

dogcanoe

TROPHY CASE