Tomorrow is my birthday and I know I’m getting book vouchers for Fullers Book shop. More on that later. I also bought myself a few little books (they weren’t too dear and I love them) that I can’t wait to read. I think one should always treat oneself on their birthday.
But for today… I’ll share something else that was 1. funny and 2. hopeful.
- Funny item first:
My friend Patricia and I went to the Tasmania Museum for a scientific talk on moths. We like to go to these free events around town and this one looked fun. I really don’t get to the museum often enough. This is what happened:
There were about 25 to 30 people who attended this talk. The first thing we learned about Dr. Catherine Byrne (the speaker) is she is a Taxonomist. She told us it has nothing to do with taxidermy or taxes. She is a scientist that identifies and catalogues various species. She said that 75% of what’s out there in the world has not been identified. All of this really appealed to my almost Asperger’s like personality.
Next she gave us an overview of the Satin Moth. They are very pretty. 
More information on how to identify and classify. I found it really interesting.
More information identifying insects.
After the 40 minute talk we got to see some of her collection, look at the UV light in the bucket she uses to catch these little critters and then we peered through a microscope to see a very tiny little moth. Not much bigger than a couple of pinheads. It was very sparkly.
Pretty little creatures.
She also explained how insects are named. They can be named after the person who discovered them, a celebrity, a family member, anyone. One rule exists though: There are always two words and they are both Latin words. She told us the moth Neopalpa donaldtrumpi was named after Trump because of its ‘hairstyle’ and when they put it under the microscope it had a very tiny penis. I thought the audience would fall off their chairs laughing. It had been such a scientific talk and when she very seriously explained the naming of the moth it really got a laugh.
2. Hopeful:
Today was the last day entries could be submitted into the Australian Photography magazine for Photographer of the Year. I have never entered a competition before but they had a category for wildlife photos taken within the past year. I thought, “Why not?” Four entries had to be entered into each category so I went through my backlog of 
wildlife photos taken in Botswana and Namibia in March this year. I chose four and sent them in. It would be amazing if I won or placed but whether I do or not I am very happy with these photos.
Enjoy the effort and send good thoughts. I hope you enjoyed this little bit of fun for today. What did you do today? Anything fun?
Male Lion
A Cheetah
A Caracal 
A Baboon
Travellin' Penguin 