i went to soccer practice yesterday!!! :) :) i decided that i was going to get off my ass and try to go out for a team, and i finally did. i found a posting on craigslist for a team in the GGWSL that needed players. this particular team is in the 7th division (out of 8) so they're not that competitive, which is probably right about my speed right now. i even convinced my coworker to come try out with me, and we both went out (and did pretty well) yesterday. the full team wasn't there since it's the summer and people are travelling, but we had a nice little scrimmage at least. other than being totally winded (i'm starting to get back in shape but my endurance isn't there), it was nice to see that my field sense isn't totally gone. i had some really nice (and some not-so-nice) touches on the ball, plus some good goals and stuff. we weren't playing with goalkeepers so it wasn't too difficult, but still. i'm glad i finally got back out there. now hopefully i'll have that and gym workouts to get me back in shape....

i'm also looking to become a volunteer assistant editor for the scientific journal/mag Amphibian and Reptile Conservation, which should be cool. so far it's being run almost solely by one guy, craig hassapakis, and i think he's looking to have me be the main assistant editor and i'll be in charge of vetting all the articles out to other helpers. he says that he got a lot of responses from people who are interested in helping, including professors and phd's and stuff. he chose me because i'm local (he lives in modesto) and because i have a good organizational affiliation. i guess that means i should stay at nfwf for a little longer, huh? ahh well. i'm excited for the opportunity, and i really hope it turns into something bigger and more consistent than it currently is. it sounds like he's finally getting the financial backing for it, and he has big plans... but who knows. for now it's interest-based, and hopefully i can get PARC interested in being involved, too.

i bought me a soccer ball, too :) it's bright green, and it was only $13! i splurged a bit and bought some new soccer gear too (shorts and socks), because if i'm going to playing regularly i'm going to need it. i couldn't find any of my soccer socks to save my life, so i bought some. eurosport has some pretty decent sales, so i got three pair for $7 or so.

speaking of things i can't find, i can't find my diploma! argh! oh diploma, where oh where can you be?