Memorial Day Weekend

Today was a really hectic day. I was graciously given the day off from work in order to take care of some commitments that I already had. I started off the day mowing, weedeating, and setting up tables for a party. I then had a meeting for my other job (I run a local youth basketball league) to take care of scheduling and paperwork for that. Then it was back home to work on swapping rooms with my sisters before I had to head down to the local park to run the basketball league tryout.
I was also contacted by the local sheriff's office that I applied with. They advanced me again in the application process and I am now scheduled to take the polygraph examination in a few weeks. I'm a little nervous about the polygraph just because of the stigma that is attached to them by most people, but I think I should do fine.
Tomorrow will be spent at a party, and then it is on to Blacksburg Sunday to move out of my apartment. I hope I can go fishing on Monday. The river has been running high the past week, but I hope it will have dropped enough and cleared up so that I can take the kayak out and flyfish for smallmouth bass. If that doesn't work I'll either hit up the local VDGIF fishery, Lake Frederick, or go to a little honey hole that is guaranteed to produce a nice batch of sunfish and some bass in the 5 to 8 pound range.
I wish all of you a very fun and safe Memorial Day weekend, and hope that you get to spend it in the outdoors!

Been Awhile

Unfortunately I haven't had the time this week to post any of my graduation pictures or do anything related to the outdoors except work. I gave myself one day off this week, which was yesterday, but I ended up cleaning my room and cutting grass all day. Today I started a job which will hopefully tide me over until I find a full time gig. It is landscaping, which is what most of my work background is in. Hopefully I'll get back into work shape by the end of next week. All I know is that the 10 hour day I worked today kicked my butt! I have to get my girlfriends yard looking nice on Friday because her graduation party is on Saturday, and then Sunday it is back to Blacksburg to move out of my apartment. Hopefully everything will settle down and I'll get a chance to go fishing, perhaps on Memorial Day. I really need to check out other people's blogs, but I just dont have the time right now. Hopefully I'll be around soon to say hi!

Graduation Update

Somehow I managed to graduate college after four years. I received my Bachelors in History today at Virginia Tech. I finished my college career off strong and managed a 3.68 GPA this semester while taking 19 credits. Now it is on to UVA to watch Sarah graduate tomorrow. I'll hopefully post some pictures in a day or two!

Almost Done!!!

In four days I will finally receive my diploma! This week has been nuts and I have spent almost all of my time writing one last exam, cleaning my apartment, and continuing through the tedious application with the local sheriff's office. I'll finally have a few days of rest and I'll possibly go on a nice hike in the mountains tomorrow or Thursday. My family and girlfriend and are coming to stay with me the next few days, and following my graduation we will head up to Charlottesville for my girlfriends graduation at the University of Virginia!
I think I'll give myself next Monday off and then spend Tuesday running errands and getting moved back in at my house in Northern Virginia. A week from today I will be doing the job I know best , landscaping!
Unless I have a great hike in the next few days and am able to post pictures of it, I doubt I will be able to blog until after my graduation. Perhaps the next pictures I put up will be of me in a cap and gown holding a diploma!!!

Good Article on Morels

I am up late studying for an exam on Fungi tomorrow, and I just happened to find an article on ESPN Outdoors website about a turkey hunter's favorite second favorite thing about Spring, the Morel. These tasty mushrooms grow throughout the Appalachian range where I live and hunt, and I have been lucky enough to find some in the Spring during turkey season. Until recently, these mushrooms were virtually impossible to grow commercially, so you could sell them for quite a bit of money. However, if you are lucky enough to find some, I would recommend eating them and not selling them because they are quite a treat!
One word of caution here...if you go mushroom hunting, make sure your first few times are spent with someone who is an experienced mushroom hunter or preferably a mycologist. There are some nasty mushrooms out there that will make you very sick, or outright kill you.
The False Morel is one of these that you need to worry about. When cooked, the False Morel produces a toxic vapor called Methylhydrazine. This vapor is one of the same compounds that is in rocket fuel, so it is very toxic. With this particular type of poisoning, the human body functions on a tolerance level. You will feel fine until you reach your body's tolerance level, but once it is reached, you will more than likely die!
I'm not trying to scare anyone because mushroom hunting is great fun and the rewards of finding an edible 'shroom are great. You just need to be very careful while hunting.
Here are some rules to remember for Morel hunting...1. When in doubt, throw it out. 2. If it ain't hollow, don't swallow. 3. If it's red, you are dead.
These rules should be followed because if you are in doubt, it’s not worth accidentally eating a mushroom that could kill you. Morels are hollow, while False Morels are not, and False Morels also have a reddish coloring.
Check out the article I linked and start planning for next year's turkey and Morel season! Here are some pictures I found online...

Morel

False Morel

Check This Out!

I saw this on another website that I frequent and I figured some of you may be interested. It is kind of sad and funny at the same time. It makes me wonder how these critters are smart enough to kick my butt in the woods about 99 percent of the time...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytv4nkRhi9g

A Crazy Week

It has been a long time since my last post, and chances are I won't be able to compose another substantial or outdoor related post for another week. My exams started today, so I will be overwhelmed with studying and exam taking until next Wednesday. I already have two of my final grades in, and both are A-, which is a pretty good start. My exam today was for geology, and I somehow managed to pull a 93% on the final which brought my grade in that class up to a B- I hope! I now have 4 exams left...hopefully they go as well as the one did today!

My job search is going pretty well too! I had to call the sheriff's office I applied with to get an extension on turning in all of my paperwork. Luckily they were very understanding about my exams and graduation, so they granted me a two week extension! I am also contemplating applying for a few other jobs in the next few weeks once my schedule calms down.

I'd also like to thank those of you who have been stopping by and leaving comments! I really enjoy the feedback and I am looking forward to visiting more blogs once I get done with the craziness that is my last semester of college. The past few times I have visited the Outdoor Blogger's Summit I noticed how many new sites have joined since I did a few weeks ago. It looks like there are lots of great sites to check out as soon as I get the time. I can't wait to stop by and say hi!