I've managed to make a living out of everything I loved when I was ten--writing about baseball (my book The Wax Pack, about tracking down all the players in a single pack of 1986 baseball cards, came out in Spring 2020; waxpackbook.com), learning and teaching about islands and insects, and staring at maps. My hybrid career of teaching, research, and journalism means I have no routine, which I love. I am the Director of Natural History and Sustainability at Merritt College, a lecturer at UC Berkeley, and now a proud member of the Grotto. I have written for The Los Angeles Times, Rolling Stone, Discover, National Geographic, Smithsonian, and many others.