Cute Kid

I can't get enough of this video. I watch it about every other day. Jesse and I say "Whoa! Whoa! wOW!" all the time now.

So I thought I'd share it. 

Can I touch it? No?

Boo, no snow here.

I am so sad that I'm missing out on all the snow in Seattle.

Boo hoo.

I have a window up on my computer of the UW's webcams for traffic, just so I can pretend I'm there.

Frog loves karaoke!

Who would have guessed that Frog's true ridiculousnous would be fully brought out by karaoke? 

I hosted a "stitch n' bitch" night at our apartment last night and Tiffany, a friend from school, brought her karaoke microphone over. It's a very cool karaoke system: just the microphone which plugs into the tv, and the song book with all of the song codes.

It was a hoot, we all sang (including Jesse), and including Frog.

Well, I took a lot of video of Frog- I couldn't believe his antics! He didn't stop all night.

I've posted more videos onto my youtube page  for your viewing pleasure. There's a higher quality version of all videos there (that option is just below the volume selector in the lower right corner of the video).

Frog plays well with others

Frog and I have been playing on the floor a lot lately. His silliness is developing nicely. Here's a video from the other night.  For the record, I've updated my youtube page with a number of new videos. 

Fly larvae

Here's a video I took of some fly larvae (maggots). I took this video through the eyepiece of the microscope I use to view the maggots. The reason I need to even worry about these little buggers is because I place each one onto a cricket, so it can eat the cricket up and turn into a beautiful fly :)

practically absent

Just signing in for a moment to explain my apparent absence...

3 weeks ago began the end of the semester rush to study and understand the difference between an ANOVA and an ANCOVA, a nested ANOVA and a Split Plot Design, and how to recalculate the F values for a model II and mixed mulit-factor ANOVA.

Needless to say, I was busy.
Then, a week into this, my computer slipped into a coma. It turns out that this was helpful in a few ways. Mainly, I realized how much I use my computer to waste time. Half the battle.

So I worked hard to learn all of my analytical tests for the finals (which were last week, I did great, thank you).

There is a story running parallel to this: I am preparing my thesis proposal for presentation in late January. Well, I'm not preparing it yet. I was waiting for finals to be over. And now they are. So it is officially time for me to begin preparing. I'm pretty nervous about it. I'm sure I'll do fine, but ample preparation is key to a successful presentation. So I've got to get to work.

My computer is still in a coma. I took it into a good computer guy today and he thinks I need a new hard drive (covered by AppleCare, thank goodness). But it sounds like it will be a week or two before I'm back in business there. So I'm using Jesse's computer for my early research. I am so thankful to have a back-up computer of course, but anyone who has a personal computer knows how personalized it is. And researching and saving publications will be much less convenient without my laptop. But whatever. It's just an inconvenience.

Nonetheless, all of this means that posting here is way down on the list. I do have a cool video of my fly larvae that I plan to post soon, but it will have to wait for the right time.

So I apologize, my (3) loyal readers. Perhaps I'll reward you with my thesis proposal. That's going to be a delightful read...

bye for now,
best wishes for happy holidays!

decoration success!

My decorations are turning out really great. I'm especially proud of the little tree. Each "leaf" is sewn on individually. And it looks awesome. 

new traditions

This is our first holiday season as a married couple. I've been very interested in the idea of creating a historical record (written, handmade items, pictures, etc) in the last year or so, and with this first holiday season together, my interest is becoming an obsession. Obsession is a strong word, but you get the idea.

So Jesse and I went to the fabric store last weekend and picked out our own fabrics to make stockings with. We enjoyed it quite a bit- not just me, Jesse enjoyed it too. I swear. It may be because he got to pick his own stuff, and he picked a great chinese dragon print in black, gray and red. I got fuzzy green fabric. 

So anyway, as I was saying, we're getting stuff together to make holiday decorations. I cut out some red and green felt mittens, stockings and hats to sew together for tree decorations, and today I went to Michaels to get little add ons, like jingle bells and pom poms. I told Jesse that I may be in nesting mode... I was talking with Jesse about how our kids will remember these felt mitten and stocking decorations forever- I remember similar items my mom made early in my life. They are such a strong memory for me. Jesse has similar memories. I think that's what I'm so interested in creating.

So I'll certainly post pictures of our progress, but what I'm really interested in is your ideas. What kind of traditions do you have? Are there any you wish you'd started earlier? What traditions do you remember as a child? Do you have any traditions your tried but that didn't stick? Any other suggestions, stories or ideas?

My Own Worst Enemy

I haven't posted much lately. I guess I've been busy with school and I feel like there isn't anything post-worthy going on in my life.

But tonight, the night after our historic election, I had a post-worthy event. Most unfortunately, I did not have my camera, so don't anticipate any more pictures other than the one above (not mine).

I went out into the field a couple of nights ago and there were some structural changes to the nearby wall. I talked to a couple of security guys around there and found out they were going to do some filming for the new tv show "My Own Worst Enemy". As in Christian Slater. He was one of my teenage heartthrobs. 

Anyway, I came back tonight (and ended up trapping 4 flies!), and the security guy, Robert, gave me a tour of the set! It was very cool. He showed me the firearms that will be used in the scene- they were all in a padlocked cage, and a car that would be exploded. It was specially rigged with steel pipes to direct the flames, and the seats were missing, but all wired for dynamite. There were lots of landcruiser-type trucks (some burned out) that would also be used in the scene. Also, about 5 huge trailers for set and props. There were about 7 other trailers for makeup, lunch, actors, wardrobe, etc.

There were about 200 people around; some building the set, practicing stunts (fighting, etc), a lot of people in line for catering, and a lot of people just standing around talking. There were also some actors sitting around in blankets near heaters waiting for their scene. They were all made up with bloody lips and dirty faces. There were huge, powerful lights up making everything look like daylight. We stood there for a few minutes so I could look around and take it all in. Just as we started walking away, Robert stopped and said "Oh, I think that's Christian Slater. Yep, that's him." He was walking about 20 feet away from us to where we just were. So I got to see Christian Slater walking to his set. We were bummed because if we had stayed where we were another minute, he would have walked right past us! But very cool that I saw him and especially the hustle and bustle of a working action set. What a treat. Can't wait to see it on tv (in December, apparently).

That's it for now. 

Obama!

Oh, I am so relieved.

What an amazing time.

not even the lesser of two evils.

burning up

It's pretty smokey down here. The fires are immediately north of my university (maybe 3 miles north). The wind is blowing hard enough to shake my car at stoplights, which isn't cheering the firefighters up, I'm sure.

 

There is a huge billowing cloud of smoke rising from the hills just to the north of campus. The billowing smoke is a complete backdrop for the buildings on campus, so it's not like anyone has to look hard to figure out what smells like a campfire. The smoke is huge and daunting, like an evil brown genie rising from the brown hills.

Those clouds aren't the raining type...

The air is incredibly dry. It makes it a little hard to breathe- like when you stick your head out the car window. My nostrils feel parched and part of me wants to squirt water into them. It's really dry.

There are a lot of firefighters who are hearing nothing but howling wind and crackling flames as they try to stop a fire that the wind insists on spreading. I keep thinking about them. I'm worried about my exam tomorrow and thinking about my project. But there are a lot of other people dealing with more pressing issues...

I walked into the library and the tv in the entrance is showing the local news, which is angling for the most-smoke-in-the-shot ("Wow, there's a lot more smoke in this live shot here..."). About 25 students were gathered around the tv. Pretty much all of the undergrads are locals living at home around here and I'm sure many students have been evacuated from their homes. The area of the fire is all "new home communities". While I am so very sorry for people that are at risk of losing their homes, I wish there was more accountability (especially to developers) who insist on building in areas that burn annually. There's talk of shifting more tax burden (specifically taxes for fighting wildfires) to people living in high-risk areas. I wonder if this would help educate people before they bought a home in this type of area.

Classes were cancelled for today (we learned at 2pm) because so many freeways are closed that traffic is a mess and people are having a hard time getting to campus. We'll see if they're closed tomorrow as well. 

Fire, fire, fire.

Another wedding

Once upon a time, I lived in a small town in Northeastern Minnesota named Two Harbors. Trivia: it is where 3M got started, which is interesting largely because the town is approximately 12 blocks square. It is also the most socially active place I've ever lived (I mean that in the best way. People are truly "neighborly" in TH).

I made a few friends during my short time there, and one very good friend named Krista. After she graduated from TH high school, she moved away (which set her apart from most of her TH contemporaries) and worked in AmeriCorps on the East Coast. She met a guy named Sam and started doing life things, like college, job, etc. She ended up in NY city. 

They got engaged just after Jesse and I did last year, and this weekend, they got married. Lucky for us, they had their wedding in Napa Valley at a gorgeous winery. So we drove up for the big event. She was gorgeous, he was handsome, and the setting was delightful. It is such a gorgeous winery. One of the best parts of going to a wedding is being able to enjoy a location you wouldn't otherwise be privy to, and this place was really remarkable. 

Congratulations Krista and Sam!

We also got to visit San Francisco, a city Jesse and I love. We had chinese food, which is magically better in SF than any other place in the USA. It was a great weekend for us. Mostly because of the wedding, of course. But the chinese food was a notable plus...

Hooray, and hooray!

Another Fail

I love this website. I laugh outloud to most of their posts.

The the kicker is that it's produced by "the face shop" (see bottom of jar). Oh hilarity.
see more pwn and owned pictures

so enjoyable

Our friend Lonnie recently turned us onto this blog. It's updated many times per day. So entertaining.

see more pwn and owned pictures

Onto lab work

I've finished the mark-and-recapture part of my project. I'll still go out to the field once a week or so to census. I'll post a pretty graph once I've crunched my numbers.

So it's back to the lab for me. I thought I'd post some pictures of what's going on right now. I am busy building up my lab colony, which means I open up a fly's abdomen and expose her larvae (sort of like a c-section, but the mother doesn't exactly recover to dote on her new babies...). I pick up a couple of larvae on a pin (they're really small, I'll have to post pictures of that next) and wipe them onto a cricket. I call this part of my job "doing evil". 

Anyway, I make a nice home for the cricket while the larvae consume it. Here's some cricket homes:

When the pupae emerge from the cricket, it's a little grub that can squish itself around for an hour or so before they molt and their outer layer becomes their chrysalis (just like in butterflies). Here's a newly emerged grub (the one in the center) that I caught squishing around the container, and its older sibling to our right, all molted and ready to transform:

Here's a top view of a cricket house with a dead cricket and a couple of pupae just behind it. The other brown bits to our right are cat food pieces.

Here's a closeup of a cricket house.  You can see the dead cricket (boo hoo), a hunk of egg carton (for the cricket), a piece of catfood, a glass water tube and 2 pupae. One of the pupae is in the water tube (on the cotton ball). It must have been thirsty when it emerged. I find them in the water tube a lot. 

And finally, here's a couple of pupae in my hand, so you can tell how big the are. They are very fragile- they're super easy to pop, with just a little too much pressure, so I pick them up with a crumpled up piece of tissue paper. They're that fragile.

So that's it for now. It's this colony that I'll use to pursue my next project- the effect of experience on host choice...

more to come...

the third candidate

I saw this bumper sticker in Glendale. Made me laugh outloud.

My brother added "Finally, a president we can trust, and one who can tell the difference between a moon and a space station from relatively far away".  

How it looks

Field nights have been busy for me lately. Wednesday, we marked about 200 flies, and last night we marked about 90. There were only 6 returners, and the low numbers were a little surprising, but I'm going out for the next several nights in a row, so I'm sure I'll get good numbers. 

I did talk to a few Big Losers. They were taking a walk down to Mulholland highway and back up to the mansion. One couple asked me what I was up to. I said "Field work", what are you studying? "Well, I'm looking at this fly that parasitizes a cricket (laugh)", OHohh (in the tone of "that's nice, c'mon honey, let's get out of here").  So I'm basically famous now.

Anyway, here's a video of the flies responding to my recorded cricket song. They're pretty tenacious. 

a flat

I had a flat tire the other day. It is times like these that I am so grateful for the way my dad raised me. Before I was allowed to get my driver's license, he insisted on teaching me a)how an engine works and b)how to change a flat tire. Of course, I thought he was the meanest dad on earth and clearly he hated me terribly to put me through such stupid hoops. I remember sitting at the dining room table as he sketched out the engine and explained it to me (it was actually pretty cool) and the repeated practices of changing tires.

Well, it's all more than paid off. When I take my car in (more specifically, when I used to take my sad volvo in), I can talk at least a little bit intelligently with the mechanics, which gains me some respect. And half the time I don't need to take it in because I can figure out pretty much what's going on (sometimes with a call to dad) and deal with it myself. I also have the confidence to learn about the problems that my dad's lessons didn't teach me, because I know the basics.

As for the flat tire business, I think this is one of the most important skills every driver and non-driver should learn. That and how to use jumper cables (also taught to me by my dad). Do you know how to change your tire? It's not that hard, but you have to know how to do it. Especially because when you get a flat, it's not in a situation where you're able to figure it out so well.

I moved down here to Southern California 3 years ago. I got a flat tire on my first day of work, halfway there. That sucked. But I sucked it up and made my dad proud. I pulled off the freeway into a parking lot and changed my tire in 6 minutes. While I was at it, some guy came up to me and offered to help. I can't tell you the pride I felt as I said "No thanks, I got it". I got to work on time and without a mark on my outfit. My hands were filthy, so I asked where the bathroom was and added that, ugh, I got a flat on my way to work and had to change it. Yeah, I was bragging. 

Anyway, I was thinking about all this a few days ago while I was changing my tire and thought I'd write about it. Everyone should know how to change a tire. 

mark and recapture

I have 2 fabulous research assistants, Nancy and Andrew. I simply wouldn't be able to do my work if I didn't have their help. And they're fun to be with, so I'm pretty lucky. I should also mention that they often bring their sig-Os, Angel and Jessica (respectively), and I appreciate their willingness to help when they get nothing for it. 

Anyway, Andrew took a bunch of pictures the first night we marked. They're pretty cool.

Here's a coyote running across our field just as we arrived. We see its poop a lot.

No caption necessary. We see at least 20 of these ladies each night.

Alright, here's me getting the flies out of the trap. I use a plastic vial to take out a few at a time, because there are so many of them now that it's not possible to count them while they're all in the trap. I have to have one person watch for escapees while I'm in there. 

Once I've got the vial full of flies, I stick it into a cooler full of crushed ice. Since flies are exothermic, cooling them down is like anesthetic. But I have to be careful not to cool them for too long, because it would kill them (by slowing down their metabolic processes so far that they stop). 

Here I am marking the flies on their wings with sharpie. 

These flies are not afraid of humans. Not much is known about them, but the only predators I can think of for them are bats, so they have no genes for being nervous around big mammals. Here is a fly that I've just marked standing on the tip of my pen. This isn't uncommon, it's kind of a hassle. But cute:)

This is the "recovery room". After the flies are marked, someone drops them here so we can see if they recover. It's pretty important in a mark-and-recapture project that the marking process doesn't kill the organism. I would say it's imperative...

So there you go (Erin:), it's like you're almost there. I wish I could have all of my friends and family come and do this with me. It's a pretty cool experience and I would love to share it with all of you.