Bird is the word

Monday night I suddenly remembered something important I left at the lab, so I decided to drive there so I could take care of it quickly. My car had been sitting in the carport for about a week or two, and I discovered that some birds had been nesting directly above it (due to the usual evidence of birds having been above one's car). After a couple minutes on the road, I make a second discovery, which is that I'm covered in tiny bugs.

One scalding and vinegary shower later, I decide that the safest course of action is to assume the worst, namely, that I'm already dying of encephalitis. This evening I emptied a can of the least toxic-seeming insecticide I could find (This is the best thing I've discovered on the Internet today. Unrelatedly, this is the second best.) And tomorrow I'm going to attempt carbon dioxide fumigation.

So, sorry I haven't been updating my blog much. Lots of things have been happening, most of them less gross than this; at some point I'll try to go back and summarize some of the things I've been doing this summer. What's new with you?