My spellchecker doesn't recognize Rahonavis, Sapeornis, Vorona, or Zhyraornis. It must be broken.

For once in my life, I finished today not only older, but wiser, and even wealthier. First, the wisdom. I finished my presentation on Mesozoic birds today, or at least a reasonable facsimile of it. As someone who's training has largely focused on vertebrates, I felt going into this that I knew a fair amount about fossil birds. It wasn't even the tip of the iceberg. Ever heard of Rahonavis or Vorona? How about Sapeornis or Zhyraornis? Well, now I have (though I owe Ethan a debt of gratitude on Zhyraornis; long story there)! What's more, I could tell you what's so important in the big evolutionary scheme of things for each one. I'm not sure I ever thought I would need or want to know this much about long-dead birds, but I have to say that it really is a fascinating topic. Also, I got one step closer to nailing down my research project after a meeting with Mike and Sarda this afternoon. Basically, they've fired a shot across the bow (vie e-mail, of course, not literally) of whoever else wants to work on my topic. If no one responds, it's mine, and I get to continue on in the magical world of extinction studies. If anyone else does express interest, we have to have some sort of run-off, but at least I've got my foot in the door.
So much for the wisdom. Now for the wealth! Do any of you remember my small post way back while I was still in Seattle about writing a scholarship essay? If not, it's still on there, somewhere at the bottom of the page. At any rate, the long and short of it was that international students are asked to write an essay saying how you will make your country better using your Bristol education, and if yours was selected as one of the ten best, you were given a £2000 scholarship. I dutifully wrote my essay about how I would use my knowledge of paleontology to champion scientific literacy in the U.S. It was all very trite, but I sent it off anyways. Having not heard back, I'd assumed that I had not made the cut until today, when I received a letter effectively saying I was £2000 richer. That's nothing to sneeze at, especially with the current exchange rate, and of course it's always nice to be recognized. The only caveats are that I have to actually be enrolled in the program I applied for (I am), I have to allow them to publish snippets in U of B publications (sure, no skin off my nose), and I have to attend an award ceremony sometime this term (I guess, if I have to...). Ever the astute mathematician, Kirsten pointed out that the few hours I spent working on that essay have now become probably the most lucrative of my life (Does that mean I can only go downhill from here? Probably best not to think of it that way.). So there you go, wealthier and wiser. Now if only I could figure out that whole health thing...