Early yesterday morning, an unidentified substance began falling from the sky. MU chemists have identified the material as having the exact same molecular composition as water. Professor of Chemistry Wu Liu was reluctant to provide details, however. “There’s no question that this material seems to be very similar or identical to H₂O, but it is obviously not water. The results are only preliminary and I’d rather not discuss the ongoing research.”

Wellington was more than happy to discuss his theories, however. He recognizes parallels with regularly reported irregularities in rural communities in the western USA. “It reminds me of ball lightning. What we have is something common, rearranged into something uncommon. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if this white material was water. Ultraterrestrials prefer to work with what’s already on our planet when they attempt to communicate.”

“I’m positive we will be able to explain yesterday’s events in a purely scientific fashion,” said Liu, “but I can’t completely rule out ultraterrestials at this point.”

Even more disturbing was the large anthropomorphic icon that suddenly appeared overnight. The segmented appearance of the icon created a buzz among gawking students.

“It’s not human. I’m actually a little afraid of it,” said MU freshman Shirley Cunnings.

“I would postulate that the icon in the quad is a mixture of the ultraterrestrial and human forms. The segmented appearance indicates to me that the closest morphological analog would be an insect, such as an ant or other arthropod,” said Wellington.

“The face is the worst part. It’s like it’s smiling, but it’s not quite right. It looks totally sinister,” said Cunnings.

The events of the past two days have left the city of Columbia both excited and nervous. Some, like Wellington, are bracing for more, “I imagine this is only the beginning. This is truly a watershed moment in our lifetime.”

Apparently Kristen Bell loves sloths. And is sort of emotionally unstable, but mostly in an endearing way. These are the questions I ask myself at this point:

1. Who is Kristen Bell? (oooh yeah, Sarah Marshall. She’s a cutie)

2. Why am I making a blog post about Kristen Bell at 1:48 am? (because I’m not too bright)

3. If I’m amazed Kristen Bell can have a breakdown about a sloth and charm the world, am I the strange one? (I think were both weird, so we would have been a good couple. And count me among the idolators, so a better question would ask why is our society so strange)

4. Kristen Bell says she is a serial monogamist (feels the need to always have a mate). If I’m the opposite, what does that make me? (Apathetic? Awkward? Lazy? Foreveralone? Maybe all the above).

I’ve known girls that I would describe as serial monogamists. As soon as their previous relationship ends, they start a new one almost instantaneously. I tend to go months or even years before starting anything new. I think my situation stems from what I’ll call an expectation of emotional privacy. I carefully guard my emotions and assume others would prefer the same.

I think the end result is I come off as a prick, or at best, uninterested. All ye lovely bitches know, should know I’m tryin to correct this.

These past couple months have been a blur. I spent a week at the University of Maryland finishing up my thesis work (see photo above). These next few months will be spent writing up the findings. I also spent a few days in Laramie, WY meeting with recruiters and socializing with other geologists. I’ll be spending the summer in Houston (hot!), but next fall is still a question mark. Maybe more school. Maybe I’ll final enter the real world. Maybe.

It’s good to be back home for a breather. I’ll be mucking around town for a few weeks before heading back to school. Maybe I’ll find something productive to do. No promises.

Sometimes I think I prefer to be alone because I would be ashamed if someone else were to see the things I do when nobody is around.

Wasting time, needless reflection, singing, overeating, unnecessary over-analysis, falling asleep reading a paper…

Dayton Zoom

St. Louis Zoom

Also check out this animation of my finds through time that I made in Google Earth.

Step 1: Empty bottle, leaving a couple ounces of liquid inside (may be unnecessary) .
Step 2: Close lid.
Step 3: Place bottle in car sitting in full view of summer Missouri sun.
Step 4: Ensure all windows are closed to achieve maximum greenhouse effect.
Step 5: Wait 6 hours.
Step 6: Enjoy your new trendy and unique Nalgene! Check out the picture of my awesome new bottle are below.

Fun times with family in Mexico have come to an end. Full enjoyment was experienced by most.

I caught metal band The Sword with opener Dead Meadow at The Blue Note in Columbia last night. See a full set of photos over at The CoMo Collective, a new blog I’m writing for.

The cat quotient (C.Q.) in our Columbia apartment increased 50% last week when my roommate took in a stray kitten. The original kitty residents weren’t very happy with the new arrival. My roommate found a home for the kitten in Kansas City and as of yesterday we are back to our baseline C.Q. (phew).