Everybody's going off the deep end, everybody needs a second chance

For approximately 95% of human history* we lived as nomads, no large societies, just small groups of gathers and scavengers. Recent evidence suggests we did not start hunting with sophisticated tools and strategies until  later than previously thought. It blows my mind that for so long we lived a dramatically different lifestyle than what we play out in modern industrial societies.

Globalization. I just (unknowingly) ordered something from China. My first clue after the transaction was complete was the email I received with Chinese characters before the English text. YeePay, the leading online transaction company in China, had processed my transaction. I hadn't heard anything from the merchant in two weeks and there was not a phone number on the website, just an email address. I was worried that I was scammed.

I thought, "What the hell? How can this be happening? Is this a real site? In China?? How the hell did I end up ordering from a business in China?"

Last Thursday, I had a minor meltdown over it after a conversation with my father who was not sure what to do but said his tech guy looked up the site and it seemed legitimate. I called my mom and talked to her and she said that it would turn out and that the package will probably come. After about an hour of worrying, my mom called and told me that she had a notice from the post office that they have a package from China but no one was home at the time of delivery. Ahhhhhhh! Well what do you know, it all worked out. The product would have come from China if I had ordered it from a US company anyway; I just purchased directly from the country of origin. Oh globalization and technology, what have you done?!

My third semester of my master's degree has come to an end but winter break does not mean release from all school work like it did during my undergrad years. I am taking a vacation to Minnesota for 10 days but I have  to start writing my thesis and analyzing my data! My research does not take a break (until I graduate then wait three months for my PhD program to begin, that is). I wish I could spend a month doing whatever I want (which would probably involve a plethora of movies, books, and naps), but I am becoming a professional scientist now. But Dr. Veech was totally cool with my MN trip, so vacation here I come! Resuming work on thesis till after New Year's Day.

The rat babies are almost all grown up now, 4 months old. They have reached sexual maturity (that happens at 5-6 weeks!! Thanks mama Phoebe for demonstrating this!) but they will reach "social maturity" around 6 months of age. I'm not really sure what that means in rat world, but I read that on a few websites about rats. Io and Phoebe have apparently just reached social maturity; I guess they had Matilda and Marley (until she died in October) to show them how to be rats. And they are teaching Tempie, Fancy, and June.

Zeus and Splinter are huge and determined to find the girls. They live together in a separate cage from the girls . I heard male rats were supposed to be calm. But the boys run around like mad men and try to scale up the sides of the girls' house. Maybe I should move them to a different room? Believe it or not, rats can be neutered. But, I don't think I'm going to go there.

I just realized that I never gave Marley a blog tribute. You were a sweet girl and a good auntie. Watching you carry the babies around was so sweet and I feel lucky to have shared nearly two years of my life with you. I hope you had the best life possible.

In the lane, snow is glistening

Another year is coming to a close. I still cannot believe that it is December. Time (feels like) it moves differently here. There is no snow. No sub-zero temperatures. Is it really the holiday season? I am going to Minnesota again  on December 23 for a white Christmas. Last year, I experienced the holidays away, lonely and longing for the place my heart lies. Suddenly "White Christmas" held a whole new meaning. Last winter was brutal. Not due to weather since I live in Texas but painful because I was here while the rest of my family and friends began their normal celebrations. My favorite Christmas carol of all time became something new, something relevant to me. It played over and over in my mind and through the tears and sadness, I hoped that next year would bring me back to MN, that a line in the song will come true.

"In a year, we all will be together."

And now, it's almost here. A good friend of mine told me this morning that she is very happy at the progress that I have made over the last year.

Have yourself a merry little Christmas, let your hear be light.
From now on, our troubles will be out of sight
Have yourself a merry little Christmas
Make the yuletide gay
From now on, our troubles will be miles away

Through the years, we all will be together
If the fates allow
Hang a shining star on the highest bough
And have yourself a merry little Christmas now

Take it away Judy Garland.

I think this compass is broken

Thanksgiving is upon us again. I am making a turkey for the first time.

I am thankful for all the things that I have and for how lucky I have been.

It's pointing east, east, east, east...

Tell me am I getting in too deep?
Every night I'm talking in my sleep
Lately I am so confused, I really don't know what to do

Some time has passed, but I'm not any closer to an answer.

Alexandra told me that I won't have a shortage. It's probably true. Will I ever figure this out?

How do you measure a life of a woman or a man?

It's time now to sing out, though the story never ends.

The heat has finally subsided here in Texas. Last year at this time and the (sort of) winter months, I was satisfied with the weather and enjoyed the warm winters. This summer, Austin Mabry had 90 days of above 100 F as of 10/20/2011 (most on record since 1898). And until a cool front came at the end of last week (and by cool the highs are around 70-77 and lows around 50), it was quite warm here in central Texas. I didn't wear jeans or long pants from mid-April to last week. Six months of very warm weather. Brace yourself, but in spite of wearing skirts and flip flops for 6+ consecutive months, I decided that I do not like the long and hot summers. Northern latitudes are preferable to this sort of climate here at the 29th parallel north. The weather was beautiful for October in Minnesota. It was when I arrived back in Austin last Sunday while waiting for Blake in the warmth that I realized the north is awesome.

Home is where the heart is, indeed.

My trip to Minnesota was short but sweet. I saw a few friends but mostly spent time with my family and Dillinger, Josh's puppy. Red nose American Pit Bull Terrier but sweet as pie. What a lovely puppy. I cannot wait to see him in 7 weeks. How big will he be then?! That head! He even wore a gopher jersey for the Homecoming game.

Some memories play over in my head like a broken record. Over and over again. Some are from long ago, some from recent times. They go in cycles, oscillating through the seasons and the years. Memories that zipped through my neocortex over and over at one instant in time have now faded and others follow the same pattern.  

One summer eve's with kung fu and the winds of change began to blow stronger than they ever have.

Lately I am so confused; I really don't know to do.

Enough about the past. This week, I am giving my first talk about my research. I am excited and nervous. I am practicing tomorrow so I think I have a handle on it.

And finally, to the future. I have my sights set on a particular place.

Happy Halloween!

Pending: Sweet reunions

In less than 12 hours I will be at my mom's house in Burnsville. I am extremely excited. It's easy to take things for granted, like seeing your parents daily (or nearly daily). I can't wait to see them again. Reunions are beautiful.

But before I get too mushy about my ardor for MN, I want to say a few things about my life in Texas and the people that I know here. Don't confuse for my love for MN as a symptom of hate for Texas. Not true. I am glad that I came here. I have learned a great deal. If you get the opportunity to live somewhere different from where you grew up, I highly recommend it. It's fascinating how within the US cultures and customs vary. The differences are subtle but profound.

I truly believe that I am better off knowing the people that I have met here. I have made some wonderful friends out of truly amazing humans. I am lucky to have been blessed with their presence.

This chapter of my life will come to a close next summer when I (hopefully) move on to a new state to a PhD program. It has been short but very, very sweet.

I love the tacos. I love the wildlife and the landscape. It's very different from what I experienced higher latitudes. I can't get enough of the caracaras and the roadrunners.

What an opportunity! What a blessing! I am very lucky, indeed.

I can't wait to reunite with my parents and brothers. I love seeing their faces after time has passed. It's like no time has passed when we embrace.

All the while, I will be reminding myself "to not cry because it's over; smile because it happened."

I do it for love.

It's autumn somewhere

Over 41 surveys since mid-May, I have seen over 500 scissor-tailed flycatchers and 41 loggerhead shrikes. These birds are found in similar habitat; it's clear that the shrikes are not very dense. About 1/4 of my shrike sample size has come from the last 3 weeks! The northern breeding populations head south below the 39th latitude. I still feel blessed by the Universe every time I spot the unmistakable masked head of the loggerhead shrike. There are still a few scissor tails hanging around, although most have begun the annual journey to Central America.

Meanwhile, our lords of the dark leaders are busy dismantling the Clean Air Act and further suppressing women's health care choices, in the names of jobs and protecting life of course. Unless you are a breather and/or a woman, that is. Help me out here teabaggers, how exactly does tens of thousands more ill (or dead) people equal a better economy?

Apparently, the 19th and early 20th centuries were great times since our leaders, particularly on the right, are working hard to bring us backwards. The republicans have gone off the deep end. When Newt Gingrich is considered a moderate in the party, you know they have gone right of the right.

The daily actions of the GOP are morally indefensible.

Another one bites the dust

When I go out on my bird surveys, which are sadly coming to an end (gotta get that thesis done!), I often catch the 9 at 9 on Bob FM. Listening to the 9 at 9 on Bob FM (the Austin counterpart to Jack FM in the TC) makes this scientist happy and sometimes perplexed that certain songs were ever popular. They pick a year and play 9 songs from that year. Yesterday was 1991. The previous day featured 1980 (hello disco!). I'll admit, I love jammin out to the "oldies", which now officially includes the 80's and maybe even the early 90's. Wow. Last night as I was channel surfing, I came across Nick at Nite and FRIENDS was on. What the hell? I guess it did start 17 years ago... and I am almost a quarter century old. If I were living during the conditions in which humans lived for most of history (small nomadic groups), I'd probably be dead (or geriatric) by now! Technology is really something, isn't it?

I recently tried to abandon coffee and cut back on my caffeine consumption, but it beckoned me back. I washed my coffee thermos that had been sitting in my office (with some coffee in it) yesterday and I pulled out a gelatinous like sheet of fungi. The next few minutes involved hot water and a copious amount of soap. When dealing with our close relatives (the fungi, closely related to the metazoans), the thought of me inhaling fungal spores and then dying enters in my mind. I cautiously approach our eukaryotic kin. Those creatures are tricky and sometimes nasty little things. Hats off to you, fungi! Thanks for the penicillin, beer, bread, and LSD! Our paths have been intertwined probably since we both first emerged from the slime and will continue to cross into the future. I wonder if there is a "Fungi Appreciation Day" or something like that. There should be. 

Anywho, the GOP primary race is in full swing, even though the first primaries have not yet happened. The candidates have been playing a game of popularity musical chairs, with Michele Bachmann starting out strong, then came Rick Perry, now Herman Cain and Ron Paul are rising to the top as the GOP flavor of the week. The wonderful writers at huffpost put out this hilarious gem today which pretty much sums it all up. 

Occupy Wall Street continues on. Rock on to the people have showed up, and continue to show up in NYC and in cities all over the country. Don't listen to the pundits or the douche bags leaders of our country. 

The rhetoric spit out by our leaders (particularly on the right but some Democrats are guilty, too) involving the "debt crisis", unemployment, and the austerity measures is so ridiculous that I wonder if they know they are regurgitating indefensible bullshit and just continue to do it anyway. 

Oh, and you go Elizabeth Warren.