I'd like to know which hominid ancestor decided to evolve a patch of hair on its head that never stops growing.

My job does make this cheating a little bit.

Today's life list additions from Punta Cana, Dominican Republic: -Smooth-billed Ani -Hispaniolan Lizard Cuckoo -Broad-billed Tody -Hispaniolan Mango -Vervain Hummingbird -Black-crowned Palm Tanager -Greater Antillean Bullfinch -Hispaniolan Woodpecker -Ridgeway's Hawk

"So what did you do at your beach resort overnight?" Stupid question. I went out into the mosquito-infested jungle to look at birds, of course.

Merry Christmas to you all! Though we may not all keep in touch as much as I'd like, know that I have thought about each and every one of you over the holidays. You're all equally missed, whether it's been a day or a year. Cheers, friends, to when we next may meet!

Why yes, I am at #BLFC2025!

There are only two seasons: -The 3 weeks where I can traipse through the garden eating fresh berries straight from the bush -Everything else

This mud and weed-infested plot is going to transform into a veritable garden of eden over the next few months

It's never easy to say goodbye. Stevie stuck with us for nearly 19 years, through many moves and deployments. She was never one for cuddling, but was always there to greet me when I got home. She liked having her ears squeezed and playing with toys under rugs. I'll miss you.

It turns out that you ~can~ be the most senior military representative in a foreign nation, and this confers upon you the ability to do things such as "call the ambassador" and "hold a press conference" (All for positive reasons!)

I just really wonder, FAA, given everything that has happened in the last month, if playing silly word games is the best use of departmental resources.

OK hotel. I like the dodo theme. But "Dodo contemplating its imminent murder at the hands of European sailors" is not exactly a restful bedroom scene.

PINK PIGEON CONFIRMED There's only around 500 of these birds in the entire world. (small caveat: found out if you want to see one, just go to the mountain where they release the captive bred ones. The whole flock pretty much hangs out around there. Lazy birds.)

I am en route to the former home of the Dodo, and if I have any free time at all outside of work I WILL find myself a Mauritius Pink Pigeon this time. The final bird on the life list for this tiny island.

I make light of the situation because it's the only way to avoid falling into a pit of seething rage over the idea that a draft dodger would have the audacity to call the service of my fellow soldiers and sailors "dishonorable".

Can confirm that the government did send out an all-hands email telling people that emails from the new, totally real OPM email address are actually legit and not a scam. Which is exactly what a scammer would say. Checkmate, pseudo-OPM, your anti-DEI spam can go straight to trash now.

In aviation we are all a family bonded by our mutual love of flying, and by our pride in getting others home to their families. Yesterday was a hard day for our family and, though we hadn't met, I knew them, and I know they did their best, no matter what the DEI hire in chief claims. Godspeed.

Amidst everything, disheartening news from the FAA this morning: guidance on obtaining pilot medical clearance for folks with gender dysphoria or taking HRT was quietly removed from the Aeromedical Examiner's guide. The ability of trans pilots to obtain/retain medical clearance is now in doubt.

Welcome to Build-a-Fuckin-Dragon workshop

Nice hiking on the Columbia River Gorge yesterday. I'm sure causing consternation by posting a golden eagle spotting on eBird in a spot where they are rarely seen.

*husband walks in* "Don't ask." *husband walks away*

Cool physics of the day: the discharge of St Elmo's Fire across the laminated glass windscreen of the jet subtly changes the polarity in the glass along its path of travel. Even more than 30 minutes later, water still prefers to follow the path of the lightning.

jinglesaurs

No, Clarice! We warned you not to go into the Gumdrop Forest, but you just didn't listen!

Everyone ready for ~maximum cozy~?

Insert Yule-tyrannus puns here! Dinosaurs + wintery themes are a favorite of mine, as ya'll know. Starting off the season with Valor and a wreath. 🎄 #paleoart (ish) #TheDinosaurMann

Ghost Ranch

Happy Thanksgiving all my American friends! Hope you're enjoying the day with family and those close to you.

Cleaning house and making lasagna while listening to Herb Alpert, so I guess the only thing missing from 60's Housewife cosplay are the quaaludes.

Hey Vets, It may seem sometimes like your day-to-day job in the military wasn't important. It might even have felt boring, safe, or normal. It wasn't. Politics aside, offering yourself in service to something larger is truly special. Thank you for those sacrifices, no matter how small!

Dinosaurs.

Shameless plug, but I have a mixcloud where I put my shows, there's not a lot there, but I am having fun making custom mixes and playsets! www.mixcloud.com/Skyjay360/

Born too late to be an intrepid explorer in uncharted lands, born too soon to be in the scrappy crew of a rickety spacecraft surviving on our wits and guile across an unforgiving galaxy.

#BLFC2024 was a blast as always, great seeing old faces and meeting new ones! I hope you all had a safe trip home. See you next year!

Up at the crack of dawn in Waikiki, decided to walk down to the beach and watch the sun rise. Was entirely not expecting the sun to rise as an 80% eclipse! Luckily a group of guys was out there with solar glasses to borrow. Sometimes you just straight up get lucky.

After spending quite a bit of time in Boston, it strikes me that you can't find a place that still sells Boston baked beans. Where are the beans, Beantown? Have you just entirely forsaken your heritage?

That wonderful time of year in the PNW when the entire yard becomes edible. Have a raspberry cobbler, on the house!

Finally working a flight to Hawaii! So of course I'm packing hiking boots and binoculars. Why would I waste that time sitting on a beach when I could be staring at never-before-seen birds?

Been in the PNW for two years now and finally saw my first banana slug!

This office has the best views. (34,000 feet over Michigan)

Finally feeling on top of things, so I've opened some commissions on Ko-Fi! Come check them out. If there's something not here that you're interested in, get in touch! ko-fi.com/thornwolf/co...

Had a dream last night that Dunkin Donuts ran a Dungeon Meshi campaign, "Dunkin in Dungeon", complete with monster-themed donuts. I think a marketing opportunity is being missed here.

Snow adds great contrast to geology that would otherwise be invisible. You might not see it in summer, but in winter this lava flow from Three Sisters, OR shows up clear as day. The actual eruption has been dated to 496 CE... Not all that ancient, comparatively. #aerialgeology

Sunset of the year coming in to SeaTac tonight. You can see Rainier on the horizon to the right.

Promising myself that I still remember how to fly after being out of the cockpit for over a month.

Time to wrap this trip up. 36 hours until I'm home. I will say, the new international terminal in Bangalore is amaaaaaazing. I can't fathom the amount of money they threw at this place.

i want to share one of the finest pieces of interior design I have ever seen: this painting in my Indian guest house. Some notes: -It is the only art in the room -It is deliberately mounted *9 feet up the wall* -Note the pencil marks where they measured, yet it is still off center.

A fine collection of Indian busses. Indians take a huge amount of pride in their trucks and busses... and also have a fantastic sense of humor.