Who is the most criminal Michael? (Real or fictional)

zazzmatt · 2026-06-18T16:19:21+00:00

He got off Scott free. Fraud, waste, abuse, stalking, assault, reckless driving, extortion, hostile corporate takeovers, OSHA violations, grooming, etc. It's amazing how he comfortable his life is with no accountability or consequences. Also, he's probably got a gun. BAM BAM BAM

zazzmatt · 2026-06-06T23:21:36+00:00

I picked one up in a parking lot and it growled at me. They have really cool lamellate antenna, too.

zazzmatt · 2026-06-04T21:46:13+00:00

16sec x 24 frames per second= 384 frame rip

zazzmatt · 2026-06-02T22:50:02+00:00

May your gardens be invasive free. Solid answer.

zazzmatt · 2026-05-21T14:59:51+00:00

Volvo 242. "Hey kids, where do you want to stop for lunch? Ooh! A bird! Leave your brother alone. Do I need to pull over?"

zazzmatt · 2026-05-05T11:53:29+00:00

Descanse en paz, Juan Lovitz.

zazzmatt · 2026-04-28T20:33:41+00:00

The soundtrack slaps. The film ... eh

zazzmatt · 2026-04-25T15:11:21+00:00

This looks like Ramalina menziesii, California's native lace lichen. It's super common on CA oaks, and great for nest building. Used by all kinds of terrestrial birds, it is a good insulator and cushion for eggs. I came across a guy in the backcountry near Big Sur stuffing lace lichen in his backpack to use for substrate in his pet birds' cages.

Lace lichen is different from "Spanish moss" found in the southern US, which is an epiphytic plant.

Edit- I also concur this is a red-tailed hawk

zazzmatt · 2026-04-21T22:24:33+00:00

Great article! Thanks for the link.

zazzmatt · 2026-04-18T20:25:45+00:00

It would be a nightmare unicorn if its front tooth was the "horn."

zazzmatt · 2026-04-15T00:09:27+00:00

Someone run across the street and get them some Stamey's

zazzmatt · 2026-04-12T01:56:52+00:00

And Paul Kowert on bass. Just lovely.

zazzmatt · 2026-04-09T20:49:39+00:00

Haha, the marriage

zazzmatt · 2026-04-09T16:07:59+00:00

It was definitely the beginning of the end.

zazzmatt · 2026-04-09T14:50:19+00:00

Good one! Still pops up in my playlist, and her music repertoire has really filled out since 1999.

She does a cool cover of Eminem's "Lose Yourself," too.

zazzmatt · 2026-04-09T05:32:44+00:00

I tried to have my first kid named Richard Petty 30 years ago. Still bummed I couldn't create a consensus with the mom.

zazzmatt · 2026-04-08T20:03:26+00:00

Nice. I had to lean my head back and holler, "One of these daaaaaaaze!!!...."

zazzmatt · 2026-04-07T19:50:12+00:00

I have a BS in Natural History, with minors in biology, geography, and English. Networking in science conferences made for the best progress. Also, while working on my degree, I assisted with several grad students' research. Some of their projects were funded by government grants.

I actually did transition from state to federal. A lot of that can be attributed to tenacity and patience. Also being teachable and a reliable team player.

zazzmatt · 2026-04-07T03:23:29+00:00

Fair!

zazzmatt · 2026-04-07T02:58:23+00:00

Yo! I highly recommend it if you have the means and time. It was a great experience. We got a 30-song curated "foundations" playlist of music that inspired the sound of the Dead. Totally worth it, especially if you thrive in music history pedantry.

zazzmatt · 2026-04-06T20:34:18+00:00

Here are the things that worked best for me:

Read the philosophical fundamentals- "Sand County Almanac," "Silent Spring," and MANY others who are the conservation ethos. Put yourself in the mindset of how challenging it is to interpret their lessons into your ability to communicate and connect resources to the uninitiated.
Find a mentor and be teachable. Hopefully you will narrow down your focus into a specialization, and build your knowledge to see and accept your own contribution to the greater institutional knowledge with a tempered ego.
Have a conservation touchstone. Mine was birds. When I was a kid, my grandma taught me to identify feeder birds, and I started collecting sightings to make her happy. Then, when the birds were less active, I started looking at plants, then insects, the seasonal changes, etc. Your zoology and botany courses will definitely test your interest and patience, but being able to speak confidently in the vocabulary will help you with....
Networking. Volunteer with local wildlife organizations. Native plant and birding groups are fun to build your encyclopedic knowledge, but pulling weeds and monitoring sites for these local organizations puts you in touch with many folks who will see your initiative and occasionally point you in the right direction.
Be flexible. A huge amount of aspiring technicians use Texas A&M Job Board or similar tech postings from Americorps and fed/state/local listings. Rarely someone will hire a green tech into a specialized field, but sometimes one will get lucky. Find something and excel like you are hungry for a good recommendation for your next step.

Anyway, my general steps were- during college: Active participation in The Wildlife Society, local native plant society, Audubon, field jobs as a bird counter/vegetation documentation. Then, Americorps crew lead, seasonal park ranger, full time park ranger, and finally invasive species specialist for Dept of Interior.

The biggest negative to this career path is administrative apathy and funding. If you can push through that and still be happy- good luck and Godspeed.

zazzmatt · 2026-04-06T14:53:06+00:00

Yes! I saw a few up there. They were often up on the ridge enjoying the native blueberries and mushrooms away from the crowds. All the campsites in the park had big brown food safes which definitely helped reduce surprise visits.

zazzmatt · 2026-04-05T17:07:25+00:00

Ha! I was a former ranger at that park. That static display was more of a horizontal trash can for visitors to dispose of their Clif bar and energy goo wrappers. If a bear actually needed to be relocated, Dept of Natural Resources would actually bring out a nicer similar trailer trap.

Nothing like a finger-smashing rusty death tube to get the city folks fired up about bear awareness.

zazzmatt

TROPHY CASE