iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Vanessa Tobias @marshprincess.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

The last couple of weeks were absurdly busy. The Bay Delta Science Conference was amazing, but it also wiped me out. A few days in the mountains has been a great reset.

A photo of a mountain range. Blue sky with puffy clouds above. Pine trees below.

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Vanessa Tobias @marshprincess.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

I really need to finish my presentation for the Bay Delta Science Conference, but Penzey has other ideas.

A photo of a small dog wearing an aloha shirt curled up next to a person’s legs on a couch. There’s a laptop open in the background.

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Vanessa Tobias @marshprincess.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

I got my covid and flu vaccines yesterday. Obligatory bandaid selfie- this time in the spooky decorations aisle. (Extra weird pose because I’m wearing a work shirt and I’m trying to cover up the agency shield.)

A photo of a woman with her sleeve pushed up to show off two bandaids on her upper arm. She is posing in the Halloween decoration aisle.

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Vanessa Tobias @marshprincess.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

My presentation might not be done yet, but I’m ready for the Bay Delta Science Conference! Look what arrived in the mail today!

A photo of two packages of stickers. One package has longfin smelt on it and the other has delta smelt on it.

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Vanessa Tobias @marshprincess.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Happy Friday! I finished a first draft of a data analysis and write up for a technical appendix yesterday. In celebration, here’s a picture of Penzey being adorable.

A photo of a small tan dog lying on a dark floor. His front feet are neatly out in front of him, but his back feet are sticking out to the side in not quite a sploot.

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Vanessa Tobias @marshprincess.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

Happy caturday! Atcha found one of the baskets that I used to pick basil this morning.

A kitchen counter piled high with fresh basil

A tabby cat sitting in a rope basket, leaning hard to the left

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Vanessa Tobias @marshprincess.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

No, I don’t really have any project updates to share because I was on vacation since the last time we met. Can I interest you in a picture of some kangaroos instead? (My team will have updates to share, but probably not pictures of kangaroos.)

An adult kangaroo with a joey in her pouch in a eucalyptus forest.

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Vanessa Tobias @marshprincess.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

I’m almost done revamping the last garden bed. The neighbor’s tree roots found their way into every raised bed. I started digging this one out to install a barrier and drainage like a month ago. Then my tooth saga derailed me. This one was an absurd amount of work especially in this heat.

A photo of a grid of paving bricks with gravel between them.

A phot of an empty raised garden bed on top of a sheet of weed fabric. There is a big pile of soil next to it.

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Vanessa Tobias @marshprincess.bsky.social · 01/06/2026

First baby mantis of the year in my yard. Sorry, friend. The sunflowers aren’t quite ready to bloom and attract snacks for you just yet.

A photo of several small plants. One has a very small praying mantis on a leaf.

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Vanessa Tobias @marshprincess.bsky.social · 04/05/2026

Progress today: Wrote some code. Broke the code. Fixed the code. Now the code works too well and it broke some other code, but I’m not sure why yet. Then Atcha showed up and needed a lap, so now I’m cat furniture.

A photo of a multicolored tabby cat sitting on a lap. Behind her, a small tan dog sleeps in a blue blanket.

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Vanessa Tobias @marshprincess.bsky.social · 04/05/2026

I left my wildlife camera out in my yard for like a month and I just pulled the SD card. I definitely squealed when I saw this picture of a possum with babies on her back. I hope it brings you joy, too!

A black and white photo of an adult possum with two baby possums clinging to her back. She is drinking water out of a small pond made out of a bowl-shaped planter.

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Vanessa Tobias @marshprincess.bsky.social · 28/03/2026

Sacramento was really mellow, but there were tons of people out at the Capitol today. I reused my sign from last time and I added some glitter.

A photo of a sign that says “impeach the phony king of America” and a cartoon of the phony king from Robin Hood sucking his thumb.

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Vanessa Tobias @marshprincess.bsky.social · 23/03/2026

I made some neat #accidentalaRt in #rstats today. Those are supposed to be convex hulls around some clusters of points, but this is cool too.

An abstract line drawing that looks like a very spiky distortion of a gray and white checkerboard pattern.

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Vanessa Tobias @marshprincess.bsky.social · 02/03/2026

Atcha is helping me turn the effects narratives from some water permitting documents into DAGs. I’m hoping this approach to reading will help me with paying close attention now and modeling in the future.

A photo of a multicolored tabby cat crouching on a notebook. The notebook is open to a page with a box and arrow diagram scribbled on it. The cat has one ear pulled slightly back, making her look annoyed.

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Vanessa Tobias @marshprincess.bsky.social · 19/02/2026

I’m getting closer to having the energy and enthusiasm back for posting about fish and stats models. In the meantime, here’s a picture of Penzey tasting a seed catalog. He’s the best little weirdo.

A photo of a small, tan dog with his face shoved in the middle of a seed catalog.

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Vanessa Tobias @marshprincess.bsky.social · 17/02/2026

This is what I did with my holiday. I made a lot of salsa from tomatoes that I threw in the freezer back in August.

A photo of 11 jars of salsa on a kitchen counter.

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Vanessa Tobias @marshprincess.bsky.social · 16/02/2026

Atcha knows what to do on a rainy afternoon.

A photo of a multicolored tabby cat curled up into a sphere next to an orange throw pillow on a couch. In the background, rain falls into a swimming pool.

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Vanessa Tobias @marshprincess.bsky.social · 13/02/2026

This is a guy who is excited that we get to work from home again.

A photo of a small tan dog sitting in a big, round, green dog bed. He’s looking at the camera. There is a pile of office stuff in grocery bags and a tabby cat behind him.

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Vanessa Tobias @marshprincess.bsky.social · 30/01/2026

Today is my last day working at the Fish and Wildlife Service. I’m taking leave next week, then I start a new job at the CA Department of Fish and Wildlife. I’ll continue to do science to support delta & longfin smelt recovery in the San Francisco Estuary, but I’ll be focusing on supplementation.

A photo of a Fish and Wildlife Service badge holder with the Service patch embroidered on it.

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Vanessa Tobias @marshprincess.bsky.social · 29/01/2026

There are so many cedar waxwings in the Bradford pear tree outside it looks like it has leaves that can jump around between the branches.

A photo of a leafless Bradford pear tree branches full of small birds. The tree is a silhouette in front of a foggy, light blue sky.

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Vanessa Tobias @marshprincess.bsky.social · 01/01/2026

Happy New Year! I hope this New Year’s Day rainbow is a good omen for positive change this year!

A photo of a rainbow arching across a stormy sky behind some trees and a rooftop.

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Vanessa Tobias @marshprincess.bsky.social · 16/11/2025

I’m gone too much during the week so weekends look like this. I know they think the situation is dire when Penzey (the dog) tolerates Atcha (the cat).

A photo of a person’s lap being sat on by a multicolored tabby cat and leaned on by a small tan dog.

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Vanessa Tobias @marshprincess.bsky.social · 01/11/2025

Happy Halloween from Penzey the Pooh

A photo of a small tan dog wearing a red t-shirt that has a cartoon pot of honey on it. The pot says “hunny” across the middle.

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Vanessa Tobias @marshprincess.bsky.social · 25/10/2025

It’s Saturday. We deserve a little doggo on our feeds as a treat.

A photo of a small tan dog wearing grey, white, and red socks on all four of his feet. He is lying on a cream colored couch.

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Vanessa Tobias @marshprincess.bsky.social · 18/10/2025

I didn’t take any pictures of the protest today, but here’s a recreation using things people gave me.

Five small, green, yellow plastic frogs in front of two stickers that say “resist” and have cartoon frogs on them.

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Vanessa Tobias @marshprincess.bsky.social · 08/10/2025

One more sick day for me. If you get this cold, please try harder not to share it than the person who shared it with me did. It’s miserable. Miscus with her cheese toy to brighten up your feed.

A photo of a grey and white tuxedo cat runbing her face on a cat toy that looks like a wedge of cheese.

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Vanessa Tobias @marshprincess.bsky.social · 07/10/2025

I’m hanging out on the couch with this guy today because RTO with no telework is only really good policy for viruses.

A photo of a small tan dog sitting on a couch. He has one ear standing up and the other flopping down.

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Vanessa Tobias @marshprincess.bsky.social · 05/10/2025

Yesterday was awesome. Morning: took a tap workshop class at my dance studio. Evening: saw &Juliet on tour. I highly recommend both for a break from doing science in ::waives hands around:: all this.

A photo of a stage set for the opening act of the play & Juliet.

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Vanessa Tobias @marshprincess.bsky.social · 04/10/2025

I’m grateful for being exempt & knowing I’ll get paid on time, but it is really hard to just keep working through a shutdown. It’s like we’re being gaslit into thinking everything is normal and not total chaos around us. Penzey being stressed out with pumpkins for my fellow feds.

A photo of a small tan dog with his tongue out, sitting in front of a large display of pumpkins.

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Vanessa Tobias @marshprincess.bsky.social · 01/10/2025

Confirmed- we’re exempt from furloughs & working through. The good part is that we get regular pay checks. (Exempt =/= excepted, which means working but not getting paid till the end.) The bad part is everything else. Pic of Penzey rearranging a blanket for maximum coziness for my fellow feds.

A photo of a small tan dog using his teeth to rearrange a blue blanket.

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Vanessa Tobias @marshprincess.bsky.social · 01/10/2025

My office is funded by interagency agreements so we usually keep working through shutdowns. We’ll find out tomorrow morning if that’s the case again this time. Here’s a cute picture of Penzey the dog for my fellow Feds on this shutdown eve.

A photo of a small tan dog looking over his shoulder at the camera. His eyebrows are lifted so he’s doing a classic puppy-dog eyes.

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Vanessa Tobias @marshprincess.bsky.social · 11/09/2025

Celebration photo in the party aisle for getting my covid and flu shots today!

A tired-looking white woman poses with a bandaid on her arm in front of a display of gift wrap.

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Vanessa Tobias @marshprincess.bsky.social · 09/08/2025

Happy caturday! Atcha’s technique for getting inaccessible things is consistent, yet entirely ineffective. (She does this to her water bowl, too.) The praying mantis on the screen seemed pretty entertained.

A photo of a muticolored tabby cat trying to get a praying mantis on a screen door. The cat is standing on her back feet with her right front paw on the window. Her left pay is threaded under her right armpit and it is extended vertically so the cat is sort of pretzeled from the shoulders up.

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Vanessa Tobias @marshprincess.bsky.social · 28/07/2025

It’s tomato canning season! This weekend I picked about 25 pounds of roma tomatoes from four plants in my yard. Now they’re pizza sauce and salsa. There are still tons more tomatoes left, but I hit my limit for how much cooking and canning I can do in one weekend.

A photo of a large colander full of roma tomatoes in a kitchen sink.

A photo of seven jars of red sauce on a cutting board with pots and bread in the background.

A photo of five jars of salsa in front of more tomatoes and some clutter in a table.

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Vanessa Tobias @marshprincess.bsky.social · 25/07/2025

Today work was stressful. Here’s a picture of Atcha lounging on a giant beanbag chair.

A photo of a multicolored tabby cat lying on her back on a giant, grey beanbag chair.

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Vanessa Tobias @marshprincess.bsky.social · 18/07/2025

I never get tired of the view flying in to LA. Just here for an hour to change planes on the way to somewhere else, though.

An aerial photo of urban sprawl surrounding hills. The Hollywood sign and Griffith Park Observatory are visible as specks on the hillside.

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Vanessa Tobias @marshprincess.bsky.social · 14/07/2025

Sunday scaries time is here again. Hoping this Care Bear stare can scare away the weekday gremlins.

A multicolored tabby cat laying on a blue, crocheted blanket. She is half on her back so her belly is showing, and her butt and back leg are hanging over the edge of the couch.

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Vanessa Tobias @marshprincess.bsky.social · 13/07/2025

Long boy who is also a short boy got high-centered on a piled of blankets.

A small tan dog, who is much longer than he is tall, is laying on top of a piled up blanket. The dog’s middle is being held up by the tallest part of the blanket pile while his head and back feet are lower.

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Vanessa Tobias @marshprincess.bsky.social · 02/07/2025

A new feral mint plant in my yard. I think it’s a Mexican mint because it has wide leaves and smells like oregano and instead of normal mint. (And a very scientific apple image search and wikipedia.)

A small leafy plant. The leaves are lime green and a little ruffly. They are arranged opposite each other on the stem.

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Vanessa Tobias @marshprincess.bsky.social · 26/06/2025

My dog is ridiculous when we stay in a hotel with him.

A small tan dog is snuggled into the white covers on a hotel bed. He’s curled up next to the pillows and he has the blankets tucked around his legs and butt.

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Vanessa Tobias @marshprincess.bsky.social · 14/06/2025

Another beautiful day for a crowd-sourced art show in Sacramento. Here are my contributions. No kings. Kick out the clowns.

A protest sign. On top black letters say “don’t poke the bear.” On the bottom, a version of the California flag where a trump-like clown is poking the bear. The bear’s head is turned back and it is baring its teeth at the cliwn.

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Vanessa Tobias @marshprincess.bsky.social · 07/06/2025

This guy knows how to do a lazy Saturday morning. Yes, he got under the blanket like that all by himself. He takes being cozy very seriously.

A small tan dog wrapped in a green, crocheted blanket. His head is lifted up and only his muzzle is sticking out of the blanket.

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Vanessa Tobias @marshprincess.bsky.social · 03/05/2025

This is what retail therapy looks like when you’re having a bad week and most of your commute is through agricultural areas.

A half flat of strawberries and two small tomato plants on the floor of a car.

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Vanessa Tobias @marshprincess.bsky.social · 06/04/2025

I’m glad I didn’t bring Penzey to the protest today because there were so many people. I couldn’t resist making protest signs for him anyway. Here he is doing a one-dog sit-in in the kitchen. #HandsOff

A small tan dog wearing a sign that says “riffs are ruff” on his side.

A small tan tog wearing a sign that says “paws off federal jobs” on his side.

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