I am slated to start graduate studies at East Carolina University this fall, studying biodiversity. I have studied tropical rainforests under academic guidance in Costa Rica and Venezuela; have published brief peer-reviewed articles on Araceae in Lanyu (Taiwan) and Hawaii; and visited rainforests in Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and Micronesia. My primary interest, though, remains South America.

My passion is ...

Life...in all its multifarious forms

I know too much about ...

So-called "family values"

My parents always told me ...

No one will take care of you once you leave this house.

My childhood ambition ...

To be a scientist

My favorite memory ...

Glory days in Costa Rica

Why I write ...

It has to come out somehow!

What I am reading/watching/listening to ...

If I tell you today, it will be different tomorrow.

My first job ...

groundskeeping and maintenance, Mason County Fairgrounds

My best moment ...

Shifting the balance of power, never to be spanked again.

My inspiration ...

the book, _The Wonders of Life on Earth_

Arts & Humanities > Making Art Drawing tips and advice for beginners

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When learning to draw, the most important thing is to try to forget what you are drawing. What? Draw without knowing what I'm drawing, you say? Yes. Let me explain.

Most people, when they want to draw, say, a flower, have a mental image of a flower; a symbol, in effect. It will be a generalized image, with a round center and petals forming a ring around, and a stem going down. But if you draw this mental image, you will tend to get a childish-looking drawing, static and lifeless. To draw a flower with life and interest, you need to stary by putting an actual flower in front of yo...

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