Well that got ugly. Black goo all over the entryway to Mesmer Hall. Dr. Decimal sucked up so much information from all the students -- psyscience fair participants and otherwise -- that he just blew up.

Apparently, psyhigh's Psychic Business Leaders of Tomorrow club was concerned about copyright infringement (and that the FOPP was stealing everybody's ideas), so they got everybody to fill their minds with thousands of ridiculous notions that would NEVER be possible. Denial of Service attack on poor Dr. D.

As for my own work... documenting psycientific anomalies during the Small Complaints episode didn't even rate. But it's still valuable to add to my portfoilo at least. And I guess Mr. Blue Ribbon will get to go home with Dr. Decimal. I think they already lived together but it's nice that somebody will help Dr. D grow his body back, because now he's just a pair of stubby legs. I drew some pictures.

"I documented the botanical mutation outbreak at Psyhigh using various visual art techniques" just doesn't really stand up against "I created a cheeseburger that gives people cow heads." People just aren't interested in real science anymore. Only flash.

But I set up my illustrations and paintings and photographs and a monitor for the animation in Mesmer Hall, and will be there to answer questions during gallery hours 3pm to 5pm Monday through Friday till the end of the month. People walk by and smile but they're all headed to the more interactive entries. Like the burger kid or the one who will inject you with irradiated electric eel blood so you can shock your friends.

We thought it was an earthquake. The school shook and we ran out of the dorms into the night. Then the debris started to fall. Pieces of roofing, plastic bottles, bits of roadkill.

It wasn't till the sun came up that we saw the giant mushrooms.

Over the woods to the east, a cluster of giant mushroom heads. We could see them clearly over the trees. Like someone had built a city of skyscrapers over night.

Of course I rushed there, with my pad and pens. Stropharia rugosoannulata -- the Garden Giant. Just like the ones the Weasel Creek Kids provide to the Psyhigh Groundskeeping department in the form of inoculated wood chips. Except no one has ever seen ones quite this giant.

The administration says not to worry, and that the mushrooms merely reacted to some toxic waste in the old factory, and that it was actually really good because mushrooms can process that kind of thing, and maybe it won't be a superfund site for quite so long.

Coincidentally, the flow of Moss Madness in the cafeteria abruptly stopped. Sure, there was a small riot -- as there often is when favorites get discontinued -- but quickly the leafy greenest of the student body lost their energy for it. Most students seem to be losing their new found leaves, and a lot of them are leaving for the summer anyway. Get it? "Leaving?" There were some confused looks from parents though.

My illustrations of the Garden Giants will be included in my Psycience Fair project. I ended up including some photos too, just to capture the scale. I thought I had first prize in the bag already, but now I HAVE to be an absolute shoe-in.

Most of the student body has sprouted tendrils or blossoms, or at least turned a healthy shade of green. The administration claims this is "normal" for the end of spring term, but I sure don't remember everyone being quite this leafy last year.

Arms and legs have become twigs and trunks, with sharp green blades or moss where hair had been on heads. Nobody seems to mind, and the Moss Madness keeps flowing with free refills in the cafeteria.

In order to capture the verdant cafeteria scene, I'm using oil paints on proper canvas. Going for a Hudson River School kind of feel. Psyience Fair is coming up in just a week, and this will be a great addition to my presentation on the phenomenon. Really the "pièce de résistance" of my whole project!

I'm creating supplementary material to go with my Psyience Fair project about the greenhouse. I'm drawing scientific illustrations of some of the plants on the school grounds that have been exhibiting accelerated or otherwise abnormal growth.

Edith Echeveria: This robust succulent from outside the science lab has recently joined my P.E. class. While they (echeveria flowers have both male and female parts) are stout and rubbery, they lack the agility to be much help in basketball.

Fern Harlow: I spent a lot of time trying to capture her willowy branches, which I hope comes out in this drawing.

@Bad Geranium: This one couldn't stop posing with the muscle shots, so I drew a number of additional images concentrating in the individual body parts. Quite built, you have to admit.

The Impatiens: This group is inseparable, and it's hard to tell the individuals apart, but they've quickly gained the adoration of the cafeteria crowd, performing their song and dance routines to great applause.

The greenhouse has gone completely under. Now there's just a mass of roots and vines that pulled the whole thing down into the earth.

I drew illustrations in my notebook a three times a day during the entire process. I'm going to put them together into an animated timelapse of the event and include it with my Psyience Fair project. Now there's no way I wont't get first prize. 

And what about @Mr. Blume? And everything else that was in the greenhouse? Where will we get the beautiful flowers for Sunday brunch?

So many questions!

With @Mr. Blume on hiatus they didn't know what to do with Botany class so they gave us "independent study" and guess what for mine I picked WHAT IS GOING ON AT THE GREENHOUSE because what IS going on at the greenhouse?

In the past week it's become a gnarling mass of vegetation, great green chutes like tentacles bursting out of the ground around it, terrible tendrils sprouting vines with leaves and spikes and primitive intoxicating flowers, threatening to pull the whole greenhouse into the earth to be consumed. There's seems to be no getting in. Or out.

I've been filling my notebook with illustrations and taking notes. I am positive it will not only get me an A but get me entered in the state-wide Psychic Science Fair! I'm psyched.

My! People come and go so quickly here!

Whether it's serving pancakes at brunch or defoliating on the lawn, psyhigh students can be like whispy ghosts.

It's because the air's so thin, I think.

Yeah I have a small complaint it is that @Mr. Blume has been smelling extra... fecund lately? A little composty?

I suggest sitting in the back

*RATE MY PSYCHIC PROF*
*67% WOULD WEAR MASK*

Come for the psychic ed, stay for the Sunday brunches.