Pile of poop

I finished the thesis proposal. I feel sorry for my department head, not for having to read the proposal, but for having to read the four appendices I included. That was uncalled for, but they were crucial. I mean, what thesis is complete without an essay on the epistemological issues inherent in dream studies?

So now, folks, I can breathe a little. And maybe read....fiction?

In other news, a man from New York was rescued by firemen from the 7 ft tall mountain of poop, bottles of urine and "other debris" he had piled up in his bedroom. I'm not making this up. Apparently the pile of excrement trapped him in his room for four days, and he eventually struggled over to the phone to call for help. The 64 old man was treated for dehydration, hypothermia, bedsores, and exhaustion.

I'd be exhausted too if I piled all my poop up into a mountain. That's hard work. But that's no excuse to get dehydrated and not drink your own urine. Amateurs!

Oh - the picture is of an amazing slime mold I discovered growing on a log. This continues my series of nature's splendor/putrescence.

Mushroom season!

The rains have begin again and I'm celebrating, as usual, by posting pictures of putrescence. That's really how I roll. Above is a fruiting of shaggy manes - they're delicious fried in butter and garlic (what isn't?) but you better do it before they explode into a black inky mess. They change from plump firm flesh to drippy goo in less than 24 hours. Sort of like time-lapse bubonic plague victims.

Watch out - make sure you don't have a related mushroom that's known as the "alcohol inky." It disables your body's ability to digest alcohol for several days (enyzyme actions) - so even a beer could cause terrible pain and digestive troubles.

Don't worry mom, I'm a mycophob by nature, so I'm really careful. In general successful mushroom hunting is all about caution and research and more caution and then more research. But then: yumminess!