Just what is going on here?

So it begins.

The question posed: How do you become a writer?
The answer received: Well, by writing, of course!

After dabbling with the world of internet writing once and again, I'm sticking my toe back into the blogging pool, wondering "Can I really do it (and stick with it) all on my own?"

Two months ago, I became a graduate student in an ichthyology lab (aka a fish lab, aka an "ick!" lab). I am surrounded by resources and experts in an intellectually stimulating setting. For the first time in my life, I get to see the ocean every day. A new chapter in my life is starting, and it's like a dream.

But I also have another dream, and that dream is to be a writer. To bring the rich world of science to life for others, to stimulate the flow of information from scientists to the public. My goal after finishing my master's is to pursue science communication, but why, I realized, should I have to wait until then? Why not start today, and continue to build my confidence as a writer by puting miles of text under my fingertips.

With science currently vying for most of my attention, I need somewhere for my other interests to also take root and play side by side. So here I am, looking not only for a place to share the insider's scoop of my fishy adventures, but also for the space to flex a little creative muscle. To collect some cluttered thoughts big and small, and build a meeting ground for all the technicolor pieces of my life spreading out in every direction. (And to finally figure out how in the heck to pretty up a website.)

It will be an evolving experience, if you will. Really just a big experiment.

So this is me diving in.