For those still reading Ocellated, sorry for the lack of blogging goodness lately. Grad school has officially consumed my life, and I love it.

This week shows absolutely no signs of letting up either. A test today (bird orders of the world - which I’ll ace) and one tomorrow (advanced genetics — I’ll be beaten and disfigured to the point of being barely recognizable) will keep me snowed under. I also leave for a weekend in the Davis Mountains this Friday! I haven’t been back since I left this summer from thesis research.

What’s really been sucking up my time though is the Wednesday bible class lessons I’ve been doing over evolution. When I’m not working on school or other business jobs I have on the side, I’ve been working on those lessons.

Last week (the second lesson) was large scale evolutionary change. Cool things like the reptile-mammal transition, theropod dinosaur - bird transition, biogeography, adaptive radiations, vestigial traits, and the 2000 pound elephant in the room all along, human evolution. The audience (with a conservative evangelical background) did quite well, and took in stride human chromosome number 2 being the combination (fusion) of chimpanzee chromosomes 12 and 13. Indeed you can read a little about that evidence yourself here.

I have been spending much of the week since that lesson though struggling with a desire to feel merciful and forgiving, and a sense of righteous indignation. I expected some people to be upset. I mentally prepared myself for it and was (and am) fully determined to be polite and gracious in my conversations that ensue.

What’s frustrated me so was a conversation that I overhead as I made a beeline to the kitchen to grab liquid refreshment to quench the cracked and burning surface that was my throat after an extended period of talking with no breaks. One person in the class was talking to another and “refuting” everything they’d just seen. I completely stayed out of the conversation. But as I thought about it, what troubled me so was that this person was wasting an opportunity. At the front of the room, two biology grad students who’d just taught the class, both Christians, were available to answer questions. But instead of taking the opportunity to ask further questions and reflect on what they’d just heard, this person instead cornered someone to gripe about the class.

The irony is ripe here. The very creation story some cling as having to be literal teaches much about the dangers of pride and the virtues of humility. Yet pride and a lack of humility rear their ugly head when the evolution / creation issue gets discussed.

Oh well. That’s why I’m teaching the class. And at least for some people, I have little doubt they’ll find it worthy of their time and consideration.

Sorry folks. Things have been a little crazy lately. School started back up this week, and I’ve recently come across a plethora of web-related jobs. The will to post was sucked away.

The Personal

But I’m back today with some really exciting news. (Well, for us at least). My wife’s been trying to get a job as an elementary teacher. It hasn’t exactly been an easy road. Lots of candidates and few positions. Nonetheless, she terribly impressed some people in the school district last semester during her student teaching, and had a handful of interviews during the summer. Nuttin’ happened. So she took a job as a teacher’s aide. (They pay Chinese workers in an iPod factory more). As school started, it was just a matter of wait and see.

A few days ago, she learned that the school had two second graders too many. She had to wait a couple of days to make sure no one withdrew, and has now been offered the job. Much rejoicing has been had in our household, and partying into the late hours of the night1.

The Provocative

I’m boring you… It’s not that you don’t care, but you’ve got your own lives and jobs to worry about. So let’s talk about something controversial. Was this the “Hand of God“? It’s a question that I’ve had on my mind for years. How does God work? I don’t think there’s one answer, and so I’ll point out up front that undoubtedly many folks have different ideas on the subject. I’m not claiming to have the answer. Still, with my view perhaps in the minority, I think it fair to throw it out in the hopes that it might be more widely discussed.

Before asking if God gave my wife her job, let me share another story on how some claim to see God at work. We have some friends2, who shared a story about a couple on their honeymoon. They arrived at one of their hotels mid way through the week, only to discover that the place had gone out of business months earlier. Making matters worse, one of those ubiquitous conventions of some type or another was in town, and seemingly every place around was booked solid. Magically, a really nice place on the beach at a good price fell into their lap. “It was totally a God thing” my friend explained.

Really? A God thing?

It’s certainly not unusual for a Christian to hold this view. My experience is that in practice, the honeymoon example is getting far out on a thin limb. I imagine there are lots of Christian’s who would find that statement troubling. It’s akin to the God who got me a sweet parking space today at school. (And God, if you work that way, please forgive me and ignore what I say. I could really use that parking space at school. Getting one’s a nightmare!)

But while Christians gladly accept chance for trivial occurrences, we tend to invoke God for the big things. Like getting that first real job or meeting one’s spouse.

I do not. Largely because I find chance comforting. If God gets the honeymooner’s a hotel, why not do something for those in Asia when the Tsunami came ashore. Let’s not forget, there were a handful of honeymooners when it hit. Rhetorically I ask, “Does God love some honeymooner’s more than others?” Is God just if He intervenes in the world to make sure somebody gets a hotel room or a job, and then chooses to do nothing as massive catastrophes approach?

For what it’s worth, my view of God at work in this world goes something like this. Through his spirit, he has the power to transform lives. And I believe God is at work largely through the interactions of people, particularly (but not necessarily limited to) His people.

The Example

So here’s how I see my wife’s case. During her student teaching, she impressed a principle and an influential teacher. Those interactions — that she was known and liked — were what got her the job. (People, with free will, hired her). But as a matter of faith, I believe God can be very present and active in those interactions. (I say can be because I also believe we have the ability to shoot ourselves in the foot and close God out).

So when no job came, and she took the job as a teacher’s aide, God was still present. She had every opportunity to do wonderful things for others as an aide. At the last minute a real job came through. Her opportunities changed with the job, but remain nonetheless.

Do you see what I’m saying? For the believer, how do we say that God gave us this job? Could my wife not have served God as a teacher’s aide? As a secretary? It seems to me that in large part, she wants to be a teacher because she feels that her gifts lie in that area.

The Scripture

Certainly there’s scriptural precedence Christians viewing things that come their way as being the result of God. Right off my head I’m thinking of James 1:17:

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

I really don’t think you have to read it that way though. If you read the chapter for its context (always a good idea) it seems obvious enough that this statement is in stark contrast to the temptation of evil. Here’s a little more of the context from James 1:

When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.

The point is that a honeymooning couple is a good thing, regardless of whether they have some ups or downs with a hotel room on the trip. So is my wife’s new job as a teacher. You can read this passage as speaking to the root of good and evil — not that each and every specific “good thing” that happens is part of a predestined plan by God.

The Conclusion

I hope I’ve been gentle enough with this topic. I stated it at the beginning, and I’ll state it at the end. My view is not the only view, and frankly it’s a little more nuanced than I could convey, even in a lengthy post like this. But I do hope that Christians will be careful, and put a little more thought into the implications on how they attribute the good things in their life to a higher power.

Several readers have emailed me to ask, “What’s going on? Why no posts?” While I’ve been a little busy, the truth is, I’ve gotten something which gives blogging a little competition for my loyalty.

This is a Canon EOS 30D digital SLR with Canon’s EF 100-400mm f4.5/5.6 telephoto lens (for those that care about the equipment). For those that don’t, let’s just explain it this way. It’s a camera that can take pictures really fast (5 shots a second) and makes things big with the lens.

It can produce pictures like this…

Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)

I’ve put up some of my initial shots in the gallery for your enjoyment. With the new camera, you can expect to see more wildlife shots, especially of birds. I’ve also increased the size of the pictures in the gallery, to better showcase my work*.

These initial shots are just that — initial. I’m still trying to learn a lot about photography with a camera such as this, and expect that my pictures will only get better as I become more comfortable and experienced with the camera.

Also, real blogging will resume shortly… Thanks for your patience in allowing me to take this break.

… I walked down the aisle.

It has been quite the year. I’ve learned so much I hardly know where to begin. And yet I’m sure I’ve only scratched the surface.

I’ll start with how we met. The day was August 27, 2004. My roommate liked her roommate. He couldn’t do the creepy thing and invite a girl over that he barely knew, so in addition to her, he invited her roommate, a couple of their friends, the girls across the street, and a few guys all to watch a movie at our place. It was all very casual. I learned about it that afternoon when he told that “a bunch of girls” were coming over to watch a movie. I’d long since given up on meeting a girl, having just graduated from a Christian university where some in the student body might think singleness is sinfulness, and still managing to not get married. (Which I’m quite proud of, by the way). Still, what guy wouldn’t love to have his future wife walk in through the front door of his living room?

We all stood around in a circle and played two truths and a lie. On the first go round, I told three truths by accident. The most awkward moment came when the subject turned to painting and decorating rooms, and I mentioned that I had just painted my room bright red and asked if anyone wanted to see it. Amy immediately said yes, but no one else did, leaving both us quite uncomfortable. (I especially since I didn’t want to be creepy — which, in hindsight the whole “do you want to see my room” line might not have been such a good idea.) One of her friends came to the rescue by saying yes too, and we both breathed a sigh of relief.

During the movie (which was really nothing that special), we just happened to sit next to each other on a small couch off to the side. Now here’s where I’m going to let you in on a little secret… If you ask my wife what happened next, she’ll tell you a lie. She’ll swear that I scooted closer to her first. Don’t believe a word of it. I wasn’t that brave. I was watching her out of the corner of my eye (she was a lot prettier than Tom Cruise after all) looking for any sign that she liked me. I saw it all very clearly. She scooted closer first. Emboldened, I scooted towards her too. As the movie progressed, the distance between us decreased. Here’s pretty much what it looked like.

Now for clarification, it should be noted that when distance apart = 0, that was the distance between our shoulders. She wasn’t sitting in my lap.

So about marriage itself… To begin with, I’ve learned that marriage is harder but better. No longer is the question you. It’s now us. And sometimes us means sacrifice or compromise. Even after a year, this changes you. I think it makes you a better person. It’s not always easy. In fact, at times, it can be downright maddening. But it’s always good. In this sense, marriage is one of the most spiritual things I’ve ever experienced. (And this from a person who gets the heebie-jeebies when it comes to people loudly claiming that this or that is spiritual). My whole understanding of what it means to both love and be loved took on a deeper meaning when I got married, and in ways that I can’t really explain, this has translated profoundly into my understanding of what love is, as it relates to my Christian faith.

Having a best friend to share life with is very satisfying too. Making plans for the future, coming home everyday to someone who’s happy to see you, and even facing the challenges that come your way. It’s all better married.

Yet in this regard I am profoundly sensitive. We’ve both known people who, upon getting married, suddenly act as if they’re on a different plane than those single people. As if single were a bad word or something. We’ve tried very hard to not be that married couple that can only hang out with married people, and who acts as if we’ve received some special revelation from God about the nature of life, just because we’re now married. I’ve seen this sort of arrogance or insensitivity first hand with friends, and we’ve been determined not to fall into its trap. But the reason this trap is seductive is because it’s exciting getting married, and it’s easy to let that excitement make you a little blind to those around you.

Mainly though, I’m honored to be married to such a great women. I can definitely say that I married “up” and am a better person for it. On the other hand, if you ask my wife on her perspective, though I’m sure she would say nice things about me, the truth is it might look a little something like this.

All I can say is “thanks, honey.” One down, a lifetime to go.

If you’ll indulge me, I have quite a story to share. It’s about life and what we want from life. It’s about what we find important, what we really value, and what we’ll do without in order to get it.

My wife is a waitress this summer. The other day at work, she had a table that was particularly annoying. The moment they walked in, a man in the party did something so bizarre, so shocking, it defies belief. Because it’s the punch line of the story, I’m going to save it till the end. So you’ll have to read the whole post (or just skip to the bottom) to find out what happened…

Now my wife is very slow to get angry. It’s almost annoying how nice, tolerant, and mild mannered she is! But even she has her limits, and they were met and exceeded with this table.

To set the scene, it was a table with an older couple. They quickly became frustrated with the menu. They were trying to order the senior special, but complaining endlessly that the options weren’t comparable to the full menu. Perhaps they had a point. In offering an unequal menu for the seniors, perhaps society was unappreciative of their great contributions. The senior meals come with fries, which separately cost $2.50. Yet they could substitute only one order of vegetables, worth a mere $0.75. “Why the discrepancy?,” the gentlemen wanted to know. Indeed, a great injustice may have been occurring.

But an injustice at my wife’s hands it was not. Seemingly oblivious to the fact that she serves the food rather than makes the menu, they bitterly complained. My poor wife had to finally throw down the gauntlet. “I’m really sorry that your upset, but I don’t make the menu and have no control over these decisions. You can order a regular meal and get what you want, or the senior meal for the reduced price.”

Once the food was out of the way, the real point of contention surfaced. They asked friendly enough personal questions — Where are you from? What are you doing? Oh you’re married? What’s you husband doing? — etc. Friendly enough, that is, until they bluntly decided to share what they thought of our plans…

My wife wants to be an elementary teacher and I a college professor. “Are you independently wealthy?” the women asked with an incredulous scowl upon her face. “How do you expect to pay for any of this?”

My wife tried explaining that since you spend most of your adult life at work, we felt it was important to pursue things we were passionate about. That when the day was done and our lives were lived, we would be far happier with a job we cared about than a job we didn’t but which paid us more. This seemed to be lost on them, and they continued insulting her for being so stupid as to help support a husband in grad school. With the excuse of “other customers” my wife walked off, a wee bit ticked off.

So, what’s the surprise waiting for you at the end of the post? The punch line of it all? Well get this. When they walked in, the man had a tape measure. He required at least 14 inches in between the booth and the table to accommodate his stomach. His wife also required the same. And he measured to ensure that he had it.

Yes indeed. When times are tough, and I reflect on the decisions I’ve made in life and the endeavors I’ve decided to pursue, I’ll surely think back to this guy and his wife, squabbling over a few cents on a senior meal, and measuring their booths to make room for their stomachs. And I’ll reflect on the life I never had.

Something tells me I won’t miss it very much.

It’s not so much that I’m tired of nature, but that I’m just tired generally, and in particular, I miss my wife. I’m running home for a few days. I’ll be back soon enough, with lots of great pictures from week 4.

Sorry for the lack of communication lately. Though I’ve been busy, the internet connection has been on the fritz lately, making updates darned near impossible. I’ll provide a brief personal update, before moving on to other, more interesting topics.

My parents came out this weekend. A good time was had by all. Mom and I found Flammulated Owl, one of the birds I had most hoped to find in my spare time here.

I’ve also moved out of the McIvor Center, at least at night, as the Center for Big Bend Studies from Sul Ross University is doing an archeological study in a cave on the preserve. I’m now sleeping in my tent.

Speaking of which, I had the funniest experience yesterday. While talking to the cook, she suddenly pointed outside and I turned around to see my tent blowing across the ground like a tumbleweed, end over end. Normally I stake the tent down, but I had a bunch of stuff inside (sleeping bag, ground pad, sheets and blankets — probably 15 pounds worth), and I figured it wouldn’t go anywhere. In fact, it had been there all day without a problem. I hit the door running like a jackrabbit crossing the highway to catch it. I was scared to look inside, as predictably, it looked like a tornado had rearranged my stuff.

As a budding ornithologist, I still deeply appreciate the the diversity across nature in groups other than birds. That’s why I couldn’t resist buying this shirt, which was produced for the Texas Society of Mammalogists most recent meeting. (My major professor, an ornithologist himself, even did the artwork). I needed some added diversity to go along with my dozen or more bird shirts.

It’s a Phyllostomid (leaf-nosed) bat. This new world family has the honor of having the most diverse feeding niches of any mammalian family. There are Phyllostomids which eat insects, fruits, blood, nectar, birds and other bats, frogs, fish, and probably something else I’m forgetting.

Now while the shirt was only $10 dollars, I’ve set a dangerous precedent here. When my wife learns that I’ve bought new clothes, I’m going to have a hard time convincing her that we really don’t have the money for new threads for her too. This beautiful and almost perfect women has ripped the closet rod off the wall twice this semester, due to the sheer weight of her existing wardrobe.

Still, I’m not sure if these arguments will be convincing. I may have to make a compromise.

Honey, I tell you what. I will gladly agree that you too can buy a Phyllostomid T-shirt, wherever you may find them, for approximately $10.

This marriage thing is great. It’s all about compromise and anticipating each other needs and wants. I’m glad I’ve got it figured out so well.

I had the oddest experience today. Coming home from school, I saw an older Asian women, traditionally dressed in a skirt with a scarf over her head. She was at the edge of a front yard, scooping water with a bowl out of the gutter and into a bucket… There are very few Asian people in this west Texas town. To see a women gathering water in this way is a first.

When I came home, my apartment once again was without water. For reasons unfathomable to me, they seem to have it turned off every few weeks for maintenance of some kind or another.

Oh well. I have a bowl.

It’s crunch time. I’ll be busy the next few days finishing a paper on interspecific territoriality and convergent evolution. (No need to ask, I plan on posting about this interesting idea). So, I’ll be taking a little break from blogging.

In the meantime, the lastest edition of I and the Bird is up. (For those unaccustomed to blogging carnivals, follow the link for an explanation).

Yours truly is included for my post on mockingbirds trying to kill blind people.

Here are my favorites from the carnival, in case you don’t want to wade through them all.

Living the Scientific Life posts this article on the new species of parrot and mouse discovered from the Phillipines. The parrot is one sharp looking bird.

Bill Thompson posts about his first encounter with Pale-billed Woodpecker. What’s so cool about his post is that he actually took pictures of both Pale-billed and Lineated Woodpeckers. I left him a comment on identifying the two.

A lady out in Tucson put up pictures of a Curve-billed Thrasher building a nest. It’s all about the location.

And finally, if you think posts about backyard birding are boring, you should try reading backyard birding posts from other countries. They assuredly are not boring, unless of course you’re from that country.

I’ll reemerge from my hole in a few days.