Johnny's Day Off

It was humid and overcast when I woke up this morning, so I wondered whether or not it was a good idea to skip work today. But after a few hours, the sun came out, the air dried out, and it turned into the most beautiful day of the year, and a perfect day to be outside. So here's what I did with my day of freedom:

First, I went to the Minuteman National Historic Park, not out of any particular interest in history, but because the Concord River flows through it, and I have caught many good-size bass and pike in that river (though not at this particular location). I stayed a couple hours, and didn't get a single bite. However, the conditions are quite different from how they are when I usually fish this river during the late summer. The water is very high due to all the rain we have had. The current is much stronger than usual, and the water looks a lot more murky. I suspect the fish are staying in impoundments and locations where the current is comparatively weak. Anyway, I took a pic of this historic statue before I left.



Next I went to a spot further downstream, one of my favorite places in the whole world.





This wildlife refuge is a wonderful place, providing a habitat for a rich diversity of birds and other animals. The refuge contains two impoundments (in which I'd bet the fishing would be great, but sadly is not allowed--this is a wildlife refuge after all) and a long, straight footpath between them, leading to a trail along the Concord River (where fishing is allowed). On a warm, sunny day, it's a great place to explore the trails, breathe the marshy air, observe birds you generally don't see in other places, and just relax into the comforting embrace of mother nature. Here is a panoramic pic taken from the observation tower (click to enlarge):



And another one covering 360 degrees taken from the middle of the path between the impoundments (click to enlarge):



(Damn, it looks like photobucket made this image smaller than I had intended it to be. Sorry about that)

So after a slow, leisurely walk, I came to the river. In this refuge, the river is flanked by heavily forested areas which make access very difficult. I actually like this, because the riverbank is away from the trail, and you have to hack through the underbrush to get to it, which gives you a lot of privacy while fishing. But as I mentioned, the water level is still high, and it has actually receded from when it was even higher--the heavily forested areas are now heavily forested swamps, making access impossible, except for one clearing. I fished there for an hour, without any luck.

I decided I'd hike along the trail to see if I could find another possible fishing spot. Of course, there were none. This place will be much better later in the summer when the water level has dropped. Another amazing late-summer phenomenon in this refuge is the number of frogs. They are everywhere, all over the trail! When you are walking along, with every step a hundred frogs jump in a hundred directions!

Right now the frogs are still tadpoles. However, at one point on the trail, I came across some very strange looking ducks, as big as geese. They were sitting in the middle of the path, preening themselves. Slowly I approached, not wanting to disturb or upset them (this is a wildlife refuge after all), and they took no notice of me at all until I was about 20 feet away.



At this point, they both stayed their ground, sitting in a very threatening-looking position, and stared at me. I gently tried to explain that I didn't want any trouble, just to walk past them along the trail, but I don't think they understood. Slowly and cautiously I walked on the opposite shoulder of the path, trying to keep my distance. As I neared within 10 feet, they growled at me in a very menacing tone, but I just kept walking. I was soon past them, and went on my way, and they went back to preening. Amazing how fearless they were--they didn't see me as a danger at all!

I walked to the point where a small channel flows from the river to the impoundment. The water here was also murky, but nearly devoid of current. It looked like an ideal spot for bass to hang out, so I prepared for a few casts. And on the second cast, I got a serious strike:



A great catch--this big ol' guy was about 5 lbs! This is why I like fishing in the Concord River! And soon after, I caught another:



This one was smaller, around 3 lbs, but he still put up a good fight. And soon after, I caught a third one:



Another one about 5 lbs. But wait a second, he had an interesting distinguishing feature--a small wound behind his right gill. I noticed this same wound on the first bass I caught--this is the same fish! I guess he wasn't freaked out enough being caught the first time, so he kept trying to eat my lure! He must have learned his lesson, because that was all I caught for the day.

As I was leaving this spot, I noticed a Great Blue Heron standing right nearby--I guess I wasn't the only one fishing there today. I took his picture from behind a tree:



So I walked back to the parking lot, and for my picnic lunch an Italian sub with everything on it. There's nothing like eating a delicious sandwich, outdoors, on a beautiful day! Afterwards, I climbed the observation tower again, and hung out there for a while, enjoying the fresh air and the cool breeze.



It was only mid-afternoon, but the fish had made it clear they were through biting for today. So I called it a day, went home, took a shower, then took a nap. So overall, it was great day--I should skip work more often!

Finally Replaced my Camera Battery

Replaced the battery and went fishing yesterday. It was warm and humid, just how I like it. I only caught 3 bass, and they were all kinda small, like this one (I really need more practice holding the camera level). But I managed to avoid getting any mosquito bites--it's amazing what happens when you apply the repellent before you start getting eaten!

The Career Path

I'm trying to recall my childhood memories of what I wanted to be when I grew up. I remember being quite skilled at removing splinters with a pair of tweezers, so I considered the possibility of being a micro-surgeon, but not in any serious way. It's quite possible that I didn't have any firm ideas, just crazy, ridiculous fantasy-of-the-moment career ideas that I never thought would actually happen. The funny thing is, that's exactly how I think about my future at this point in my life.

When I was in middle school, I took a mandatory class called 'careers' in which we were supposed to come up with ideas about what we wanted to do with our lives. Of course, I had no clue. We were required to fill out a questionaire about our interests, and feed our answers into a computer program that did a career database search. Mine came back with zero results. I remember the teacher chastizing me for contradicting myself with my answers. I thought I was just being honest. At any rate, the second half of the course was about researching our career choice, so I had to pick something. My brother, five years older, was interested in becoming an engineer, so I thought, hell, my brother is a pretty cool guy and he's smart, so I'll just be an engineer like him. That's how I took my first step down the path.

Science was always my favorite subject in school, and Math was my best subject, so I was probably going to head in the engineering direction regardless of that stupid class. In high school, when I was looking at colleges, I had it in my head that Environmental Engineering was what I wanted to do. I always liked being outdoors, and keeping the environment clean was a worthy objective. But then during my senior year, in my physics class (which had a total of two students), my classmate said to me, 'I wonder what it would be like to major in physics?' The gears in my head began to turn as I considered this option. What a challenge it would be, and what a great starting point for any scientific career I chose after getting a degree. I was persuaded. And I followed through.

And now I find myself at a prestigious R&D facility doing defense-related work. This is burdensome on me philosophically. But one thing I learned after graduating is that there aren't whole lot of jobs available to physics-majors outside of the defense industry. Another thing I learned is that having a job that pays pretty well and never requires more than 40 hours a week has a way of placating (repressing?) the conscience.

But now 10 years have passed since I started working here. Like any job, some tasks were fun, interesting and challenging, and others were pure drudgery. Right now, I find my current project tedious, boring, and mind-numbing, and the alternatives are not especially enticing. I don't feel any passion for this job, and consider it little more than a means to a paycheck. But what else can I do? My skills are now all so specialized, and to be honest with you, I'm not sure I want to stay in the engineering field at all. My rut is cushy and comfortable, and the outside prospects are daunting and uncertain. But it is still a rut, and my instinct is to try and claw my way out. Am I strong enough to start over from scratch in another field? Can I give up my comfortable salary? And just what the hell would I go into if I did leave?

Or am I just having a bad day, and tomorrow I'll be able to tolerate my situation more effectively?

Another Day at the Lake

The fishing hasn't been great lately. A fish or two here or there, but that's it, and none of them particularly large or noteworthy. It seems like the springtime feeding frenzy is over, and they've settled into the summer doldrums.

Went fishing this morning at the Mystic Lake again. There was a guy fishing at my usual spot, but since there was plenty of room, I threw a few casts beside him. He was funny, cuz he wasn't trying too hard--baited up his hooks, cast them out, and sat down to smoke his cigarettes and drink his Bud Light. (Who the hell drinks beer at 10:30 am?) Friendly guy though, offered to share his worms, along with plenty of fishing advice, about half of which was sound. The fish weren't biting, so I looked for another spot.

After hacking my way through a wooded area, being careful to avoid the poison ivy, I found a decent spot. Threw a few casts, and got a hit. Pulled in a small largemouth, maybe 8 inches. But then on the very next cast, tragedy struck. My line must have tangled on the tip of my rod, so when I threw my cast, it didn't unspool. The centripetal force was more than my 6 lb line could handle--the line broke and my favorite spinnerbait sailed twice it's normal distance, landed with a splash, and sank, irretrievably, to the bottom.

Damn. But that's part of the game. I tied on another swivel, and snapped on a swim shad. And the very first cast with this new lure was unarguably the worst cast I've ever made in my life! My finger got stuck on the line as I released, and I pulled it way to the left, up into the trees. I gave it a few tugs, but it clearly was never coming back. So I lost two lures on as many casts. But this time I just shook my head and laughed at myself. It wasn't a high-risk cast; it was just a technical error. It's all part of the game.

So I made an unplanned trip to the tackle shop, to restock my spinnerbait and swim shad supply. The guy there has been trying to sell some chemical-free insect repellent. Last time I was there, he gave me a free sample towelette, which I tried out. I don't know how many mosquitos it repelled, but it wasn't all of them. If a repellent only repels 75% of mosquitos, is that considered effective? I wouldn't think so. Anyway, I told him it didn't work very well, and I think he took it personally, like I was implying he was selling snake oil (actually I think it was citronella oil). I hope he forgets--he is someone I don't want to offend!

Anyway, I still have yet to replace my camera battery. I'll get to it--I know this blog is a lot more interesting with pics.

The Power of Salad

About 8 or 9 months ago, I decided that I wasn't eating healthily enough (though the exact reasoning behind this decision escapes me now). So I made a major change to my diet by adding a big salad to my dinner, and reducing the sizes of my entrees and sides to accommodate. I've never been especially fond of salads, but neither have I been particularly averse. And since they are packed with all sorts of nutritious goodness, I decided to make a daily habit of salad-eating.

Usually my salads are pretty simple: lettuce, carrots, cucumbers. Occasionally tomatoes, if they aren't too expensive. Drizzled with an Italian vinaigrette, such a salad is a tasty complement to any meal. Once in a while, I get a little wild and add a sprinkle of oregano or parmesan cheese. And when the planets are properly aligned, I create a delicious salad worthy of the gods, featuring slices of rich, creamy avocado!

Since I started this practice, I have been feeling healthier overall. But just recently, my doctor sent me the results of my blood test, and I was quite surprised to see quantitative improvements, which I can only ascribe to my daily salad:

	2005	2006	% Change
Cholesterol (Normal < 200)	201	162	-19%
Triglycerides (Goal less than 200)	41	51	+24%
HDL (good cholesterol; Goal greater than 35)	79	67	-15%
LDL (bad cholesterol; Goal less than 100)	114	85	-25%

Total Cholesterol and Bad Cholesterol are down significantly. Triglycerides are up, but still well below the danger-zone. Good cholesterol is down a little, but well above the goal. You can't argue with the numbers--those salads must be doing some good!