The New Digs

I realize that I'm not very good about taking photos of me on my adventures. Actually, I'm not good about getting myself in pictures at all. I suppose this is mostly due to the fact that I'm always the one holding the camera, but I can understand how it might be frustrating for you all to not actually see me taking part in most of the things I've written about thus far.

Well I can't promise anything, but I will do my best to get some other people to take pictures of me while I'm up here in the Highlands. Why the change? Because it's absolutely beautiful up here and I want to prove to you all that this is actually where I spend my time these days. Plus I know several people have been checking the news for sightings of a barely-clothed wild man running free across the Highlands with an army of reindeer and I'd like to pre-empt the inevitable media frenzy by releasing those photos myself. Unfortunately, for this post at least, you will have to make due with pictures that I took (and hence, pictures that I am not in). Until I get photographic proof though, you will just have to trust me when I say how nice it is up here.

This, for instance, is the view from my front step.

Seems pretty normal right? As nice as pine trees are (and yes, pretty much all the best trees are pine trees) that seems pretty dull. Ah, how wrong you are...just wait for these stupid clouds to lift.

Here's the same view on a clearer day. Not bad eh? Well that's nothing compared to the view from up on those hills.

Where in all of this loveliness do I live? Well, if you click on the photo to get a bigger version you can get a good approximation. Hell, I'll even guide you through it. Go to the larger version of the photo. No see that big white building about mid way up the right-hand side? Well you can't see the reindeer house, but it's just down and to the right of that. Here is the reindeer house itself:

I live back behind this in a garage. It's pretty sweet, but I haven't managed to take any pictures of it yet. Hell I may never manage to...it would be pretty easy, but I doubt they'd turn out very good. All you really need to know is that it's quite comfortable. And that I've got some spare reindeer skins back there to keep me warm.

Speaking of reindeer, here are a couple for you to look at.

Hooray reindeer!

I need to get back to work now, so I'll leave you with one last detail of the new living arrangements. As most of you know, the thing that I miss most in America is my dog. No offense friends and family, but I can talk to you. This whole "year without a dog" thing was taking its toll...Good news - there's a canine resident at the reindeer house! Now she's no Skua (let's be honest, what dog could live up to that?), but Misty the cairn terrier is a decent surrogate. Here is a picture of her sleeping in a sunbeam.

Hopefully I will find time to post again soon to update on my research progress. Here's a preview though - things are not going according to plan...

Stay tuned for more!

Its Reindeer Time

That's right, it's finally here. The part of this degree I've been looking forward to more than any other.

The reindeer.

This Monday (hopefully), I will be moving out of my current residence in the heart of beautiful Edinburgh (so don't send stuff to that address anymore) and heading up to the Highlands to spend the next six months living in a garage.

I couldn't be any happier about it.

The photos for today's post are from the final presentation I gave yesterday morning - the last day of coursework for this degree. I like to think the presentation itself went as well as some of these look, but we'll just have to wait and see how that last portion of my grade gets decided. I'm not too concerned about that, or my recent exams. I did well enough in the fall that it looks like a distinction could very well be in the cards if I can pull of this reindeer project.

Yup, we're back to talking about reindeer. This repetition has been a bit of a theme in my life recently, much to the detriment of my ability to chat up pretty girls (just kidding...there aren't actually any pretty girls in Scotland). It's only going to get worse after the move, though I'll try to have some non-reindeer adventures just to provide you all with a little variety as I get situated up there and calving season gets closer. Of course that will have to fit in around my reindeer-focused schedule.

I'm going to keep it short today and promise to write a longer post once I get moved into the reindeer house. I'm sure you all desperately want more, but I haven't done anything but study recently and I'd rather go watch the Six Nations rugby match than make something up. Hope you're all well and talk to you all again soon!

Reindeer, reindeer, reindeer.

That is all. 

Burns' Night

Approximately 168 hours ago, I took part in a real Scottish tradition with a group of rather lovely people. Now Burns' Night is arguably (after, maybe...St. Andrew's day) the most Scottish holiday there is. In principle the goal of the night is to celebrate the life of Robert Burns, one of the greatest Scotsmen to ever live. Apparently he really loved whisky (Scottish spelling) and women, two things very close to my own heart. So that's really what we chose to focus on.

Mike and I get ready for the party

Not sure if I've even mentioned her in this blog (a pretty good indicator of just how unapologetically self-centered I really am), but I was invited to the gala by my close friend and classmate Jess. No I don't know what the deeper meaning is behind my befriending girls with that name, but it does seem to keep happening. Here is a picture of her enjoying the night's festivities with her boyfriend Calum (one of the only real Scottish people I hang out with here).

Jess and Calum

That was all well and good, as I'm always up for a genuine cultural experience like that, but somewhere in the planning process (likely a few pints in...and yes, that is how we tell time over here) Callum, another friend Mike, and I decided that it would be funny to incorporate a Western theme into the party. Not sure exactly how relevant it was, but after five months of being the only one dressed as a cowboy I was looking forward to actually fitting in a little bit.

Yes, some of those cowboys are wearing kilts

And so Burns' night commenced. I was requested to bring not one, but both of my banjos, and after a whisky or two I was easily convinced to play some songs for everyone. I think I started out with "Mama's Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to be Cowboys," which was (despite my rather poor musical skills) well received. Of course my skills were reduced over the course of the evening (due to the many Burns' toasts), but everyone put up with it very politely.

Increase in alcohol = decrease in talent (but increase in perceived ability to rock)

Soon after this, the dinner preparations had been finished and it was time for the first real Burns' Night tradition - the Ode to the Haggis. Now haggis seems to get a pretty bad rap in America, where people can't seem to accept the idea of eating something that's been cooked in a sheep's stomach. Not sure why people think this is different from eating sausages in normal casings, but that's beside the point. The point is, haggis is actually pretty delicious. It certainly deserves an ode every once in a while. First we had to play the haggis into the room (lacking a piper I had to banjo it in), but soon it was time for the speeches to commence. Callum recited Burns' famous poem from memory to much acclaim.

The haggis receives its just praise

Of course the food was only a small portion of the night. There was more drinking, more poems, more speeches and some more singing. Astonishingly, I even convinced some pretty Canadian girls to drop by for part of the evening. All in all it was a pretty spectacular evening, although the side-effects did somewhat hamper my ability to do school work the next day. It was great to to take a break from what has been a hectic school schedule and just relax with good friends and pretty decent whisky.

The reasons for wearing this hat are probably best not described in civilized company

All in all it was a great reminder that I actually live in this amazing place.

Steve and Mike enjoyed it too

Time Flies

There goes another year...

It's absolutely crazy to think that 2010 has come and gone so quickly (by far the fastest of any year I can remember). I suppose this is a good thing - an indication that I kept myself busy, that I engaged with the world and managed to keep my head above water - but I can't help being a little sad to see it go so soon.

Grady James Lawton

                                                

For me, at least, the end of the year was the best part of a great year. Over the Christmas break I managed to get myself back to the States to meet the newest member of the family - my 2 week old nephew Grady. Since I probably lack the talent to really express how this little baby has affected me so far, I hope the pictures will at least show you all that he got some good, strong Jorgensen genes. Of course I'll try to write about it anyway, because one thing definitely didn't change this year...I'm still one stubborn son of a bitch. It may take me a bit to get around to it, but I promise it'll happen.

Uncle Buck and Baby Grady

A year ago today I sat at home contemplating many different things - job opportunities, academic opportunities, and the adventures that I was sure still lay ahead of me. Every path led to new possibilities, to new adventures that would keep me on my toes. One thing, though, was missing; one thing caught at me as I pursued each new test.

I had lost that feeling of "home."

At some point in the last four years, as a moved from Wyoming to New York, to Minnesota, to Africa and back again to each; as I packed my life up once more into two bags and prepared to set off for Hawaii, a phantom sensation became startlingly clear. Without having put down roots in any of these places, my roots had disappeared entirely. My father's house was comfortable, familiar and welcoming, but it was just that - my father's house. For the first time in my life it didn't truly feel like home. Neither did my next home on the volcano, nor the next at San Clemente. It was unintentional, to be sure, but my lust for new tests, for new adventures, had made me into some kind of emotional hobo. Please reread that last sentence and insert something more eloquent than "emotional hobo" (although for a small fee I will allow use of that term for any of you trying to come up with band names).

How I imagine an "emotional hobo" looks as a baby

I wasn't lost. Not really. I had a fair picture of where I was headed. Yet, somewhere along the line, I had become a tumbleweed, with no place holding me any closer than another. The sensation was both unpleasant and unnerving, it was completely unfamiliar. For my entire life, home was one of those immutable things that defined me - how can anyone know who they truly are without knowing where it is that they belong? 

This year provided me with two reminders of what really makes me who I really am. The first was the hot Nebraska weekend of my sister's wedding, gave me a new brother and a good excuse to dance a polka. Somewhere in that weekend, in between the service and the reception, between a banjo song and the cheers of a man on a tractor (as he watched the new couple taking pictures in his corn field) the reminder was there. For some reason though, perhaps the excitement, or perhaps that alcohol, it didn't fully register.

The two newest family members

It wasn't until my second reminder, in the form of a seven pound infant with bad gas, that I realized what was needed to make me belong. As I sat in the kitchen of my sister's house and watched each family member take their turn holding him, I realized that home isn't really a place. Home is my brothers. Home is my sisters. Home is my father. Home is the people who love me. If there is one thing in this world that keeps me going on each of these adventures, it is knowing that these people love me unconditionally, that they support me no matter how ridiculous my plans get.  

Passing around the kitchen

That tiny baby reminded me of what "home" really means, that home is where my family comes together. That baby reminded me that it is my family, not my country or my state, who keeps me strong on cold Scottish nights. That baby reminded me that I am loved, that I  love - that I love my brothers, my sisters, and my father more than I could ever say. For reminding me of that, little Grady, I love you too.

Welcome to the family

Snow Day

View from our front door

Winter has finally come to Edinburgh. We almost made it to December without any really cold or snowy weather. I think my Wyoming upbringing will keep me from thinking anything over here is actually cold, so I've been hoping for some snow to help me get into a Christmas mood. Wish granted, although the amount of snow on the road could potentially pose an issue for my carpool as we try to get to Easter Bush to turn in two big assignments in the morning.

The typical Snow Pose

St. Andrew's Day is tomorrow (the 30th) so the Edinburgh Castle is having free admission for a few days. My flatmate Jag and I thought we would take advantage of both this and the blizzard and go visit for the first time since we arrived. Unfortunately, the snow was so heavy that the castle had closed for the day by the time we got there. Disappointing, but probably fine as I still had a lot of editing to do on my papers. We did manage to get a few pictures taken in the courtyard though, so hopefully you all enjoy them.

Jag in front of the (closed) castle

Other than the change in weather things are going pretty well. It's lovely to not have these two assignments lingering over my head any more, although I still have plenty to get done in the next few weeks leading up to exams. I did manage to make some time this weekend to celebrate Thanksgiving with my contingent of American (and Canadian, German, and Indian) friends. It was certainly different than any Thanksgiving celebration I've experienced - we were cooking in three different apartments at once which made things quite hectic. I had managed to find fresh cranberries several weeks ago, which I had prepared the day before. Both it and the giant loaf of French bread that I baked turned out to be big hits (I managed to sneak out with a little bit of leftovers though, so I've got cranberries for a few days at least).

Me in front of the castle.

I'm starting my last week of class tomorrow, so it's not long before I come back to America for Christmas. Lindsay's baby is due here pretty soon, so there are more exciting things for people to get excited about than me. If you have last minute name suggestions you should probably get them in soon.








I can't think of much news aside from that, so just enjoy the pics!

The clock tower in snow

Sorry!

So I know I promised to keep this blog up to date, but I'll be damned if a Master's degree doesn't involve a little bit of work...I'm sure a lot has happened since my last post (considering it's been almost a month), but I don't really know where to start.

I just turned in my first big assignment today (33% of the grade for one of my classes) which was focused on comparing methods to assess surgical pain in rodents. Is this a topic worth writing about? It turns out that yes, it is, as pain is a HUGE issue in animal welfare (obviously). The weird part though, is that there is still a pretty extensive argument about whether animals can feel pain or not. Now I know you're all thinking "of course they can!" and I'd probably agree with you. It just seems so intuitive that they would. But the issue needs to be dealt with from so many different angles that it is almost impossible to get a definitive answer. Essentially, in order to feel pain (rather than another, less controversial perception of noxious stimuli called nociception) requires not just a physical component, but an emotional response as well. This leads us into philosophical and scientific questions of animal cognition and consciousness which is, in itself, an incredibly complex field with a lot of different viewpoints to be assessed. I know it's not a particularly interesting subject for a lot of you, but that's what I've been focused one for a while now. The paper itself was meant to judge if this relatively new method of pain assessment was actually more reliable than some of the older methods. It was, so it looks like research is at least headed in one positive direction.

Other than coursework life has been...interesting. I won't get into it too much, but I think it will suffice to say that the hunt for a nice British girl has taken a few unexpected, discouraging, and bizarre turns...Essentially, it turns out that I am particularly attractive to girls that don't interest me in the least. I'm chalking up the disappointment to a combination of my incredible animal magnetism, dance floor dominance, and my absurdly high standards. I'm still optimistic, although I'm not really sure where all the beautiful, reindeer-enthusiast, country girls (alternately accepting Voodoo Princesses) hang out...probably Finland if I had to guess (I can get a plane ticket there for 12 pounds though, so I might give it a shot one of these weekends).

As I don't have much enthusiasm for extended stories right now, I'm just going to toss in a bunch of random thoughts - most of them in question format. Maybe one of them might be interesting. If not, I'll intersperse them amongst more pictures of Edinburgh that I know are more interesting.

After three weeks of searching I managed to find fresh cranberries for Thanksgiving. They were ridiculously expensive, but will be my ticket to a full Thanksgiving dinner with some American friends.

How do I go about finding a PhD program? How important is it that I take the GRE?

Who wants to come visit me here? Who wants to come visit me and then go immediately to somewhere that  stays light past 3:30? Tenerife? Marrakesh? I can get tickets to both places for 30 pounds.

Why do hiking boots all look stupid these days? I recognize that boot technology has progressed a lot since I bought my last pair seven years ago (RIP Kamik) but even the good boots look dumb. I guess it doesn't matter that much, as I don't have enough money to buy them anyway.

I was doing well at not being homesick until Friday night. Then for some reason I thought I should tell some girl about my dog...mistake.

What does everyone want for Christmas? Too bad, you're getting Scotch Whiskey.

Does Lindsay's baby have a name yet? I know they won't know the sex until it's born, but is Tsugotai still on the table?

Alright, last one - I finished working on Sarah's wedding pictures recently. Not sure when they'll be released to the world, but here's a little taste.

The Highlands

Alright gang,

I promised you all a little recap on my big weekend in the Highlands (or at least some of you) and I like to think that I'm a man of my word. As you all know (or will soon learn) I'm not a brilliant author, so I thought I'd let some of my photos guide the post. I'll try to fill in the gaps with a little writing, but I'm sure we'll all appreciate the images a bit more. I'd apologize that they're all of reindeer, but really that just makes them that much better. I don't care if you want variety, you'll enjoy what you get...ingrates.

Magnus - a breeding bull

So I don't remember if I've posted anything about my work on planning a dissertation project, but the whole process has been relatively difficult. I started out back in April with nothing more than a decent idea of where my passions lie - by combining certain aspects of my education, upbringing, travel experiences (and the little bit of idealism that somehow exists in an admitted cynic) I have found myself more and more interested in exploring the viability of alternative hoofstock species in development agriculture.

Now don't worry if that went a bit over your head, you certainly aren't the first to have a confused look on your face. Let's just say that if you're trying to pick up a pretty girl at a bar, it's a lot easier to say "I work with animals" than spend the next hour explaining what that sentence actually means. Fortunately. I know that anyone who reads this blog is pretty sharp, so I'll give it a go with the explanation that I generally use.

In developing regions of the world, animal agriculture represents an important source of nutrition (not to mention draft power, transportation, etc.) and provides much of the protein necessary for proper growth & development, cell function, and a whole mess of other important things. I'm not at all interested in arguing with vegetarians about this topic. Meat and other animal products are incredibly useful and downright delicious. Unfortunately, there are several downsides to animal production in developing countries: traditional livestock require significant resources to raise, can have a negative impact on the local environment, and are not automatically well suited for every climate on earth. The example I always use is that of cattle in sub-Saharan Africa. Most domestic breeds of cattle are descended from a Bos taurus or an essentially European ancestor. These animals did not evolve to cope with the harsh conditions of the region and they have many issues, like low production quality, low production efficiency, and a plethora of welfare issues, which are not easily resolved. The idea then, is to replace cattle with native species which are better suited to the environment. An eland, for example, is perfectly adapted to cope with African heat, low precipitation and marginal food supplies while still producing high-quality products (many of which have significantly higher shelf-lives than those produced by cows). While there are many issues that need to be overcome in behavior and reproduction, I think the field holds a lot of promise for reducing the environmental impact of animal agriculture in these developing countries while reducing hunger issues and food security problems.

Running to Dinner

Plus a job like this would let me keep travelling all over the world and work with all the best animals. There could be projects like this anywhere from Swaziland to the Northwest Territories and beyond.

"Enough of that dry sciencey mumbo-jumbo" you shout, "tell us about the Highlands!" Well, dear reader, your wish is my command.

Reindeer and I have a lot in common. For instance we both love to pose for photographs.
Is it vanity that drives us? Absolutely yes.

This last weekend I travelled up to the North of Scotland to visit a reindeer herd that has been in operation for almost sixty years and will be the focus of my dissertation research this coming spring. Now I don't know how much experience any of you have with reindeer, but basically they're awesome. I have worked with many different species in my life so far, but the reindeer has a certain charm that most of these other animals lack...a certain je ne sais quoi, if you will. Plus they're absolutely gorgeous to look at, which doesn't hurt at all.

Loch Morlich in the Background

So the Cairngorm herd is currently owned by Tilly and Allen Smith. I met the former this weekend to discuss the project, and she seemed like exactly the kind of person I want to be working with - welcoming, cheerful, and (best of all) receptive to sarcasm, provided it comes on the back of a little hard work. She's exactly what you would imagine the combination of hardy Scottish farmer and reindeer expert to be, going from butchering a sheep on the dining table in the morning to training reindeer to pull a sleigh in the afternoon. Basically, she's pretty damn cool.

The Cairngorm Mountains in the Background

Best of all, she seemed very receptive to the idea of having me come up to conduct my research at the centre. After a lot of discussion we came to the conclusion that my developing a comprehensive study of maternal behavior would be the most useful project for everyone involved. The specifics are still in the works, but for at least part of the research period it looks like I will be following new mothers as they lead the calves up on to the mountain tops for summer grazing. That means legitimately becoming a reindeer myself, camping out for days or weeks at a time, and generally having reverting into a wild man. I imagine a loin-cloth will be involved at some point. At the very least there will be some eyewitness reports of a very scruffy guy running free and unburdened (of stress, problems, and clothing) with the reindeer.

The weather was unbelievable, the nicest I've seen since I left America.

I'm sure by now you've noticed a bit of a giddy tone in my writing. If you know me well, you know that it takes a lot to get me excited about anything. After telling a class-mate about my trip she mentioned that I was acting like I had just fallen for a pretty girl. It's not exactly the same (reindeer don't make me feel particularly romantic) but I realized that the feeling was a lot the same, this project has so much potential to be amazing for me that I can't help but feel butterflies in my stomach. Hell, I'm having trouble concentrating on school work because I keep daydreaming about reindeer. Sounds silly, I know, but it's not a feeling I've had in a long time.

So that's it for now. Feel free to suggest topics for future posts if you like.

I apologize for the pictures. I recently had to reformat the ol' computrix and lost my photoshop in the process. The disk is in the mail, but I thought you all might like to see some pics before they get here. I managed to do a little rough editing with some programs on the computer, but I'll probably be redoing it all again at some point. Hope they at least give a sense of how awesome reindeer are. We'll finish off with a couple favorites from the trip.

A young castrate shows a little interest in the photographer

Just a handsome animal