Quick life update followed by a tangent... Enjoy!
So I'm in Marine Invertebrate now, as you all know. Very interesting class, but it is starting to be one difficult class. This is a class that would normally be a whole semester (4 months), but it's squished to be a summer class (5 weeks). But here at DISL, they recently shortened that 5 weeks to 4 weeks, which is what I'm taking now: a 4 month class squished into 4 weeks. It's so information-y I'm gonna die!! So this Friday, I have a Midterm. Not excited. But all the labs and field collections are still super fun! This past Friday, Team Worm collected a bajillion species and we just finished keying them tonight, so that's exciting! We got our species from Airport Marsh and the tidepool near the Public Beach. We've also done lab dissections on coral, jellies, and worms. But today we had a FOUR. HOUR. LECTURE. Straight through. Because we had too much information, so we had to stay after class. For a whole extra hour. I almost died. Four hours of sitting still in a dark room... Can't handle it, guys. But when we were finally set free, we needed to reward ourselves for the torture we went through. Especially because we have a midterm on Friday, so it's study week and too much lecture time. We were going to get our normal milkshakes from the gas station, but then Coffee Beast was open. [Commence Tangent.]
Listen, guys. This is a big. freakin. deal. BIG. Coffee Beast and I go wayyyy back... All the way back to my first week here. Coffee Beast is a new coffee shop on the island aka increase of civilization on this island. You all know how I feel about civilization- it's glorious! But when there's a lack of civilization, it's a rather depressing experience for me. Well, this Coffee Beast place was supposed to have its Grand Opening on June 4th, my second Tuesday on the island. Pretty cool. I'll get to try this delicious coffee/ donut place. On Monday, we drove by, noted the "Open on June 4th" sign, and planned our adventure there the next day. Tuesday comes and the place isn't open. But not only that, they changed their sign to "Open on June 11th." So, it's a disappointment, but you know how construction is... Always takes longer than expected. So we just plan to return the next week.
The 11th comes around, anddddd they're closed. Really? Again? And they didn't change the sign until the day-of. It's a good thing that there's nothing better to do on this secluded island then wait around for this coffee shop to open. If there was, I'd be about as bitter as the coffee they haven't served yet. So the sign now says "Open on June 18th."
Go on 18th, closed, sign says "Open June 24th." Is this a trick? Is this place ever opening? Or are they just doing this to see how many people they can see drive through the parking lot with disappointment? Because it was at least 4 people that were heartbroken on June 18th. Add that to your count, Mr. Never-going-to-open. But we're going on the 24th and they WILL BE OPEN. We're determined that they will be done. So there.
Along comes June 24th, the day of truth. Are they open?? NO. AND the sign says... "Open on July 24th." JULYYYYYY!! What the what?! That's not okay, guys. I have been wasting my time every week to go to your supposedly "Grand Opening" and I won't even be there when it actually happens! ... if it ever does. But I'm bitter now. As bitter as the coffee they will never serve! And we decide we will NEVER EVER EVER go there. Not even next summer when we come, whether they're open or not. They won't get our business. We refuse! They have disappointed us one time too many!!
Well, they opened today. July 1st. The FIRST!! What?! So what do we do? Stay strong with our "never going there ever" attitude?? No. We freak out with excitement , turn the car around at the next possible U turn and swerve into the parking lot. And we're all like... "YAYYYYYY COFFEEEEEEE AND DONUTS!!!!!" We forgive and forget like nobody's business. And then we raved about our delicious snacks, the awesome atmosphere of the new shop, and left saying that WE LOVEEEE IT!! And I'm okay with it. We just witnessed a miracle. The Beast has awakened. It's open. Finally. And we're way too over enthusiastic about everything in life, so why should this Grand Opening be any different?
And now that we have our sugar/caffeine highs, we're going through a 24 page Study Guide together. You'd think it'd be silent note card-writing, fierce page-flipping, and maybe a couple soft tears of anxiety. You'd never expect to hear so much laughing and outbursts and excitement over studying the differences of locomotion/ anatomy/ function/ characteristics/ etc among all Invert Phylums. But we make our studying way too fun. I mean, pedal pads relate to Spongebob and are a hilarious subject to discuss, just FYI. Oh, and you can make a sound effect or re-write a song for absolutely anything. Just try us- we got this. Marine Bio Nerd Probs. Anyways, off to study some more- song, dance, and all!
Monday, July 1, 2013
Friday, June 28, 2013
Grabbing Life by the Spiracles
Just to start off, I want to say that fun finds us. We don't even have to look for it, and it's awesome. If you don't sit around doing nothing, you'll be amazed with all of the fun experiences that appear before your very eyes. So here's tonight's account of fun...
Anna, Angela, Hannah, and I decide to take a nice stroll on the boardwalk after dinner on Thursday night. We saw crabs everywhere and a dead floating red snapper in the water. That is some cool stuff to us marine biology nerds. And then we saw a bunch of fishermen on the pier, which means super cool fish to try an identify. (Again, we're marine bio nerds on a secluded island. This is our idea of a fun way to spend our free time.) And then there was a man who caught a Cow Nose Ray. Super cool. But he didn't want to eat it, so he was going to throw it back. This is a brilliantly sustainable thought, and I approve. However, this fisherman then did something awful. He took a giant hook and stabbed the ray, right in the middle of the thing. This is not how you throw fish back in the ocean. I have seen this far too many times, and it's time to give a lecture to everyone on this planet. Please allow me to enlighten you...
If you stab something with a giant hook, it will bleed out and die. I know this sounds crazy, but it can and will happen to even the best of us. The ray is no threat to people. Its barb is easy to avoid, and its spiracles are even easier to grab. So there is no need to be afraid of it. You caught it, you can release it. When accidentally catching a ray, grab it by the spiracles (openings above the eyes- very easy to see), take the hook out of its mouth, and throw it back into the ocean. Easy peasy. Even I can do this without freakin out or being stabbed by its tail. And the thing will live! Amazing. It's a waste to put a fish back into the ocean if you stab it with a giant hook and watch it bleed out on the pier. It's going to die, so why bother throwing it back?? End rant.
Back to the topic at hand... There was a ray with no hope of survival and this guy is about to throw it back into the ocean to rot. Not on my watch! If it's going to die, let's not waste its life. We shall use it FOR SCIENCE!!! (You know, if you add "FOR SCIENCE" at the end of phrases, it makes them sound much more legitimate. So next time you are doing something weird, say "FOR SCIENCE" and no one will judge. Seriously, it works every time.) So we grabbed life by the spiracles and decided to dissect the ray. At least we can learn some cool things from it.
How to dissect a ray:
1) Cut off the tail. Got to do this so that you are in zero danger of the barb stinging you and so that it is out of the way when trying to look at its insides.
2) Carry the ray by spiracles and transport it to a place to dissect it. In our case, walk down the pier, across the street while being stared at by crossing cars and boats, walk all the way across campus, to under the classroom, and place on a mat. Yes, we looked really normal doing this, walking our ray dripping with blood. And Anna was wearing a white shirt... Miraculously, nothing got on her. Not a drop of blood. This, my friends, is an amazing feat. Especially for us scientists who get dirty with absolutely everything we do.
3) Collect your dissecting tools. Unfortunately, ours were locked up, so we used a couple of hunting knives that we carry on us. (PS- Don't mess with us.)
4) Cut off fins. These can be eaten, if you are interested. Make scallops out of them. I'm sure it would be delicious. We, however, have no kitchen or anything to cook with, so the fins just went off to the side. We did see that our ray was very muscular though. It was impressive.
5) Cut along the side of the vertebrate and remove connective tissues inside to take out the gut. The gut contains all of the super cool stuff: liver, stomach, spleen, kidneys, lungs, eggs, and it's connected to the esophagus. This is also time consuming if done correctly. So if you aren't using a lab (because it's locked) and squatting under a classroom like us, you will not only have super cool ray parts, but also super buff legs. (And super sore legs the next day- but that's what 2.5 hours of squatting will do to you!)
6) By now the ray is pretty much in a million pieces and looks like this... And look, Ma, no teacher!! We did it all by ourselves. We're some proud future marine biologists here. Oh, and pretty beastly. Some of this was hard to get with our hunting knives (scalpels really are much more suitable for this type of work), so we resorted to ripping some of this apart with our hands. Not the best lab techniques, I'll admit. But I like to think of it as excitement and dedication to our dissection.
When done dissecting and learning all things about ray anatomy, it's time to clean up. First, claim the skeletal and preservable parts. I get the jaw bone, and I'm super excited! Then the vertebrate will be shared by Hannah, Anna, and Angela. And both Hannah and Angela got eyeballs that they are attempting to preserve in formaldehyde. So that is all way cool!!
But clean up for real...
1) Dispose of unwanted parts.
We walked to the beach, praying we wouldn't step on crabs and then threw the remains into the ocean. It's important to note that we did not go into the ocean. It was pitch black outside, and we just threw bloody remains into the waves. No thank you, I do not want a shark bite tonight! But we decided that you could have the "perfect murder" here. We cleaned up really quickly by throwing everything in the water, it was dark and no one saw us, and there was no trace of us when we left because footprints are washed away by the tide. Just sayin. This is gold for all you crime tv show writers out there. You're welcome.
Anna, Angela, Hannah, and I decide to take a nice stroll on the boardwalk after dinner on Thursday night. We saw crabs everywhere and a dead floating red snapper in the water. That is some cool stuff to us marine biology nerds. And then we saw a bunch of fishermen on the pier, which means super cool fish to try an identify. (Again, we're marine bio nerds on a secluded island. This is our idea of a fun way to spend our free time.) And then there was a man who caught a Cow Nose Ray. Super cool. But he didn't want to eat it, so he was going to throw it back. This is a brilliantly sustainable thought, and I approve. However, this fisherman then did something awful. He took a giant hook and stabbed the ray, right in the middle of the thing. This is not how you throw fish back in the ocean. I have seen this far too many times, and it's time to give a lecture to everyone on this planet. Please allow me to enlighten you...
If you stab something with a giant hook, it will bleed out and die. I know this sounds crazy, but it can and will happen to even the best of us. The ray is no threat to people. Its barb is easy to avoid, and its spiracles are even easier to grab. So there is no need to be afraid of it. You caught it, you can release it. When accidentally catching a ray, grab it by the spiracles (openings above the eyes- very easy to see), take the hook out of its mouth, and throw it back into the ocean. Easy peasy. Even I can do this without freakin out or being stabbed by its tail. And the thing will live! Amazing. It's a waste to put a fish back into the ocean if you stab it with a giant hook and watch it bleed out on the pier. It's going to die, so why bother throwing it back?? End rant.
Back to the topic at hand... There was a ray with no hope of survival and this guy is about to throw it back into the ocean to rot. Not on my watch! If it's going to die, let's not waste its life. We shall use it FOR SCIENCE!!! (You know, if you add "FOR SCIENCE" at the end of phrases, it makes them sound much more legitimate. So next time you are doing something weird, say "FOR SCIENCE" and no one will judge. Seriously, it works every time.) So we grabbed life by the spiracles and decided to dissect the ray. At least we can learn some cool things from it.
Obviously, this ray is destroyed thanks to the fisherman. But we're going to use it FOR SCIENCE!!!
How to dissect a ray:
1) Cut off the tail. Got to do this so that you are in zero danger of the barb stinging you and so that it is out of the way when trying to look at its insides.
2) Carry the ray by spiracles and transport it to a place to dissect it. In our case, walk down the pier, across the street while being stared at by crossing cars and boats, walk all the way across campus, to under the classroom, and place on a mat. Yes, we looked really normal doing this, walking our ray dripping with blood. And Anna was wearing a white shirt... Miraculously, nothing got on her. Not a drop of blood. This, my friends, is an amazing feat. Especially for us scientists who get dirty with absolutely everything we do.
Transporting our ridiculously heavy ray.
3) Collect your dissecting tools. Unfortunately, ours were locked up, so we used a couple of hunting knives that we carry on us. (PS- Don't mess with us.)
4) Cut off fins. These can be eaten, if you are interested. Make scallops out of them. I'm sure it would be delicious. We, however, have no kitchen or anything to cook with, so the fins just went off to the side. We did see that our ray was very muscular though. It was impressive.
5) Cut along the side of the vertebrate and remove connective tissues inside to take out the gut. The gut contains all of the super cool stuff: liver, stomach, spleen, kidneys, lungs, eggs, and it's connected to the esophagus. This is also time consuming if done correctly. So if you aren't using a lab (because it's locked) and squatting under a classroom like us, you will not only have super cool ray parts, but also super buff legs. (And super sore legs the next day- but that's what 2.5 hours of squatting will do to you!)
6) By now the ray is pretty much in a million pieces and looks like this... And look, Ma, no teacher!! We did it all by ourselves. We're some proud future marine biologists here. Oh, and pretty beastly. Some of this was hard to get with our hunting knives (scalpels really are much more suitable for this type of work), so we resorted to ripping some of this apart with our hands. Not the best lab techniques, I'll admit. But I like to think of it as excitement and dedication to our dissection.
When done dissecting and learning all things about ray anatomy, it's time to clean up. First, claim the skeletal and preservable parts. I get the jaw bone, and I'm super excited! Then the vertebrate will be shared by Hannah, Anna, and Angela. And both Hannah and Angela got eyeballs that they are attempting to preserve in formaldehyde. So that is all way cool!!
But clean up for real...
1) Dispose of unwanted parts.
Let's throw the ray parts back into the ocean!
We walked to the beach, praying we wouldn't step on crabs and then threw the remains into the ocean. It's important to note that we did not go into the ocean. It was pitch black outside, and we just threw bloody remains into the waves. No thank you, I do not want a shark bite tonight! But we decided that you could have the "perfect murder" here. We cleaned up really quickly by throwing everything in the water, it was dark and no one saw us, and there was no trace of us when we left because footprints are washed away by the tide. Just sayin. This is gold for all you crime tv show writers out there. You're welcome.
2) Put the bone you want to save into a giant ant hill. Seriously. We put ours in an ant hill that is between 3-4 feet high. You don't really need one that big, but you want the ants to clean the bones for you. Less work for you, and you don't have to worry about destroying the bones with your beastly muscles tearing at the bones.
3) Wash everything! It smelled real bad when we were done. Two and a half hours of cutting a ray in the hot, humid weather makes for a less than pleasant aromatic compound taking over your nostrils and getting all over your clothes. And we also washed the ground really well. Don't want any critters coming for the little ray pieces. That would not be any fun.
4) Reward yourself with a milkshake. After your very soapy, very long, very hot shower, of course.
And that's how you do it guys. If you ever find a ray stranded, begging to be dissected (dead), then call me up. I see myself as an expert in this matter now, and would love to make you an expert too. And you can get a cool ray bone!
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Did I mention that I hate bugs?
... because I don't think I did. But I'll state it very clearly right now.
I hate bugs.
Just so the whole world knows, including all of the bugs that think it's okay to be near me. It's not okay. It's never ever ever okay. I think this is very important to state clearly because so far, my week has been full of bugs. And these heart attacks that I'm having can not be good for me. They really must stop. Also, I'm showing signs of paranoia. For example, I think I see a black spot in the corner of my eye. Most people ignore said black spot and at the very worst, turn their head to see what the said black spot is. But not me, not after these past few days. I see a black spot and a shoe appears in my right hand, a Raid can in my left, ready to aim, fire, and conquer. This is an instantaneous, almost instinctual, reaction. I repeat, not okay. I'm turning into a bugbuster.
So you want to hear about the horrors I've been facing thanks to bugs... here it is. I must warn you, though... The remainder of this post is not for the faint-hearted. It may be disturbing to some of you bug-haters. Don't say that I didn't warn you.
Monday 6/24/13
Happy first day of school! Again!
And the Second Session starts off with a warm Marine Invertebrate welcome and the groupings for our projects. Each group does three projects: Hot Fact, Video, and Collection. The projects all revolve around the topic for each group. Anna, Angela, Hannah, and I all decided that whatever topic we were doing, we wanted to be in a group together. And then we saw the list of topics. Arthropods, Mullusks, Echinoderms, Vermiforms. Of course, we want Arthropods: lobsters, crabs, etc. There are hermit crabs and ghost crabs everywhere, so we could do some awesome crab collection. Had it all planned out, and it was going to be perfect! And then... Bum bum bummmmm. (Enter Terrible Tylers) Tyler and friends sign up before us. Another group got to it first. Such a disappointment. What ever happened to ladies first? What happened to this so-called principle of chivalry? Well, the lack of the former two, ended with my group getting the lovely topic of Vermiforms. Cool, guys, really cool. For those of you who may not know, those are worms. I get to play with worms for a month. I would have been okay with anything else, but worms... bugs of the sea... That's my luck. Buttttt, it's still marine biology. And therefore super cool. Therefore, I will love every second of our dumb worm project and will leave this class a better marine-worm-lovin-biologist if it kills me. On top of that, I do have a fantastic group! We're going to kick the arthropods booties too, if you were wondering.
Tuesday 6/24/13
On to the worst experience of my life... The infestation of roaches. Huge roaches. H.U.G.E. It's a very good thing that Anna is prepared with Raid- that is a quality investment for all current and future DISL students, just fyi. But anyways... Anna and I are chillin in our room trying to watch Game of Thrones and Modern Family when the first roach enters. Que heart attack #1. We both grab shoes and the Raid. Anna is chasing after the monster like a crazy person spraying Raid as she goes. Good thing to know: Raid makes tile floors slippery, when wearing flip flops there is no traction on the slippery Raid, chasing and killing roaches is very difficult when you're slipping all over the place in panic while having a heart attack. Just in case you ever come into this situation, learn from our mistakes. And then we freakin lost the bug. It ran under Anna's bed and we couldn't figure out where it went. This is when the feeling of terror comes in. Sure, the roach was doused in Raid, but do we know for sure that it's dead? Will it ever come back? Did it get enough Raid? These are all very scary questions to ask, and the only thing that would help us was seeing the dead thing. Seeing a dead body is sometimes the only thing that can reassure me in times such as these. But alas, it wasn't happening... Until 10 minutes later when it emerged from the other side of her bed. But we were ready. Yes, we had our mini heart attacks and onset of panic, but Anna's shoe hit that thing so hard, it was G.O.N.E. Reassuring feeling sets in. And it was only one roach. We're so good! These were LIES that we told ourselves. Another few minutes, a larger roach came out. The regular: heart attack, panic, lost it, terror, killed it, reassurance. But by this time, our whole hall knows about our infestation. Because we're freakin out. Obviously. Oh, and then another freakin roach comes out. Oh, and it's even. freakin. bigger. NOT OKAY. NOTHING ABOUT THIS IS OKAY. But you know the drill by now. That reassurring feeling though, it's weaker every time. I don't trust my room and the bug-proofing we're doing anymore. But it's dead. And now I'm hoping and praying that they're for real gone. I guess we'll see.
I'm sorry to give you such a terrifying rant, but this just happened. I am still very much on edge over the whole thing. And I am currently not able to sleep, waiting for more roaches to come out. But no worries. I will aim, fire, and conquer. Sure, nuclear bombs won't kill them, but I will.
I hate bugs.
Just so the whole world knows, including all of the bugs that think it's okay to be near me. It's not okay. It's never ever ever okay. I think this is very important to state clearly because so far, my week has been full of bugs. And these heart attacks that I'm having can not be good for me. They really must stop. Also, I'm showing signs of paranoia. For example, I think I see a black spot in the corner of my eye. Most people ignore said black spot and at the very worst, turn their head to see what the said black spot is. But not me, not after these past few days. I see a black spot and a shoe appears in my right hand, a Raid can in my left, ready to aim, fire, and conquer. This is an instantaneous, almost instinctual, reaction. I repeat, not okay. I'm turning into a bugbuster.
So you want to hear about the horrors I've been facing thanks to bugs... here it is. I must warn you, though... The remainder of this post is not for the faint-hearted. It may be disturbing to some of you bug-haters. Don't say that I didn't warn you.
Monday 6/24/13
Happy first day of school! Again!
And the Second Session starts off with a warm Marine Invertebrate welcome and the groupings for our projects. Each group does three projects: Hot Fact, Video, and Collection. The projects all revolve around the topic for each group. Anna, Angela, Hannah, and I all decided that whatever topic we were doing, we wanted to be in a group together. And then we saw the list of topics. Arthropods, Mullusks, Echinoderms, Vermiforms. Of course, we want Arthropods: lobsters, crabs, etc. There are hermit crabs and ghost crabs everywhere, so we could do some awesome crab collection. Had it all planned out, and it was going to be perfect! And then... Bum bum bummmmm. (Enter Terrible Tylers) Tyler and friends sign up before us. Another group got to it first. Such a disappointment. What ever happened to ladies first? What happened to this so-called principle of chivalry? Well, the lack of the former two, ended with my group getting the lovely topic of Vermiforms. Cool, guys, really cool. For those of you who may not know, those are worms. I get to play with worms for a month. I would have been okay with anything else, but worms... bugs of the sea... That's my luck. Buttttt, it's still marine biology. And therefore super cool. Therefore, I will love every second of our dumb worm project and will leave this class a better marine-worm-lovin-biologist if it kills me. On top of that, I do have a fantastic group! We're going to kick the arthropods booties too, if you were wondering.
Tuesday 6/24/13
On to the worst experience of my life... The infestation of roaches. Huge roaches. H.U.G.E. It's a very good thing that Anna is prepared with Raid- that is a quality investment for all current and future DISL students, just fyi. But anyways... Anna and I are chillin in our room trying to watch Game of Thrones and Modern Family when the first roach enters. Que heart attack #1. We both grab shoes and the Raid. Anna is chasing after the monster like a crazy person spraying Raid as she goes. Good thing to know: Raid makes tile floors slippery, when wearing flip flops there is no traction on the slippery Raid, chasing and killing roaches is very difficult when you're slipping all over the place in panic while having a heart attack. Just in case you ever come into this situation, learn from our mistakes. And then we freakin lost the bug. It ran under Anna's bed and we couldn't figure out where it went. This is when the feeling of terror comes in. Sure, the roach was doused in Raid, but do we know for sure that it's dead? Will it ever come back? Did it get enough Raid? These are all very scary questions to ask, and the only thing that would help us was seeing the dead thing. Seeing a dead body is sometimes the only thing that can reassure me in times such as these. But alas, it wasn't happening... Until 10 minutes later when it emerged from the other side of her bed. But we were ready. Yes, we had our mini heart attacks and onset of panic, but Anna's shoe hit that thing so hard, it was G.O.N.E. Reassuring feeling sets in. And it was only one roach. We're so good! These were LIES that we told ourselves. Another few minutes, a larger roach came out. The regular: heart attack, panic, lost it, terror, killed it, reassurance. But by this time, our whole hall knows about our infestation. Because we're freakin out. Obviously. Oh, and then another freakin roach comes out. Oh, and it's even. freakin. bigger. NOT OKAY. NOTHING ABOUT THIS IS OKAY. But you know the drill by now. That reassurring feeling though, it's weaker every time. I don't trust my room and the bug-proofing we're doing anymore. But it's dead. And now I'm hoping and praying that they're for real gone. I guess we'll see.
I'm sorry to give you such a terrifying rant, but this just happened. I am still very much on edge over the whole thing. And I am currently not able to sleep, waiting for more roaches to come out. But no worries. I will aim, fire, and conquer. Sure, nuclear bombs won't kill them, but I will.
Sunday, June 23, 2013
To Civilization!!
Just call me the brilliant botanist beast! That's right, I just aced Marine Botany. Final Exam and Presentation are both completed. Heck. Yes. Group Projects, though... Our group was obviously the best (I'm only a little bias), but the other two were also really great! Can't say I wasn't disappointed when the Phyting Phytoplankton Group didn't do a musical, but nonetheless an entertaining presentation. And the Mangroovy guys had a fantastic name- I mean, that's pretty clever, gotta give it to them. You can tell that we had an awesome class! But after all of our last minute project details and crazy studying, we had a weekend to relax. Yay! This was a Friday, Saturday, AND Sunday filled with fun!
Fiesta Friday! Went to Ole Maria's again this Friday for some churros, Wobble and Cupid Shufflin, and karaoke. And Anna, Angela, Emily, and I sang "Livin on a Prayer" absolutely beautifully. Oh, and have I mentioned that we have no pride? Yeah, it showed Friday night. But we really just had a great time making fools of ourselves. But we didn't want the night to end, so we went to The Deep End. (If you're looking for the part about me getting kicked out of the bar, it's right here.) The Deep End is the bar that's on the island that has fun music and a floor to dance on, so of course we decided to try it. No, we don't drink- not that old yet! But dancing, I can do that all day, erryday, regardless of my age. So dancing, I shall do! Our group walked in and started chatting with each other, waiting for the band to start playing. The bouncer came to card us. It was all fine and dandy. We were on absolute best behavior, minding our business. Not even being obnoxiously ridiculous or anything. And then the bouncer approaches us. We knew what was coming... But who would kick out such well behaved young ladies? Apparently a bouncer that can't count. He came back to kick 2 of us out, the two of us with 1993 birthdays- which is this girl!! Apparently we were supposed to be 21 to enter the bar. Not 18 (like normal places aka my hometown: Atlanta) nor 19 (like everywhere else in Alabama). So our ignorant little selves were kicked out. And here's another little funny part: my friend has a 1992 birthday and is 20. That can happen, guys. I know. Crazy stuff. But Mr. Bouncer didn't know that, and he was letting her stay. Of course, when we knew we were breaking rules, we left. For real though, that was the worst bouncer ever. But we weren't going to be legit kicked out of a bar. We left with our dignity, which can't be said for most people kicked out of a bar, just sayin.
Sui juris Saturday! Those of you who don't like dictionaries, sui juris means free, as in Freedom, Merrica, and CIVILIZATION. SWEET CIVILIZATION!! On Saturday... we left the island. It was a thrilling experience, really. It's been so long since we've seen the world! It was all because we needed to go on our trip to WalMart. But if we're going that far out, we might as well go to Mobile and spend the day there! Yes, we do make good decisions. Part of our good decisions included Target, Starbucks, and Wintzell's Oyster House. At Starbucks, I made my first "Secret Menu" purchase, the Captain Crunch Frappuccino. (Thanks Angela!) And it just so happened that the Starbucks we were at was where the Captain Crunch Frappuccino was invented. I mean, who can say they had Captain Crunch where it was invented?! Only people who go to that Starbucks and order it... okay. So maybe a lot of people can say that. But I still think it's cool. Also, Nicholas Cage was in Mobile, somewhere filming some movie. So maybe we didn't actually see him... or even know where he was. But we looked for him for a little, and we were still in the same city as him, so we practically saw him. Got a famous coffee and almost saw a famous person... we're practically celebrities. The possibilities are endless when you're in civilization!
Social Sunday! First, church, like every Sunday. This week we visited the Methodist Church- super friendly people. And then it was beach time!! We were there all day, and I even fell asleep for a minute there. Like a nap. What?! I forgot those existed. This beach bum lifestyle... great stuff. But then when we got back to the Sea Lab, all of the new people were here for the next session! I LOVE new people! So that was fun. We have a couple new, very sweet girls on our hall. We spent tonight coloring in my room (and Anna's room- b/c we're roomies now!! YAYYY!!!). No, I am not 5 years old. Yes, I am 5 years old at heart. I will color without shame. But not without interruption, apparently. The boys decided that they wanted to show off for all the new girls and attack our hall. They skateboarded through the hall with Nerf Guns. Oh, and they toilet papered our halls too. They are 5 years old- it's not just at heart... it's at brain too. Anyways, boys, I hope you know this means war.
So that's this weekend in a nutshell. Super excited for my second First Day of School this summer. Tomorrow I'm starting Marine Invertebrates. And I know a bunch of wonderful people that will be in the class with me, so I'm pumped.
Fiesta Friday! Went to Ole Maria's again this Friday for some churros, Wobble and Cupid Shufflin, and karaoke. And Anna, Angela, Emily, and I sang "Livin on a Prayer" absolutely beautifully. Oh, and have I mentioned that we have no pride? Yeah, it showed Friday night. But we really just had a great time making fools of ourselves. But we didn't want the night to end, so we went to The Deep End. (If you're looking for the part about me getting kicked out of the bar, it's right here.) The Deep End is the bar that's on the island that has fun music and a floor to dance on, so of course we decided to try it. No, we don't drink- not that old yet! But dancing, I can do that all day, erryday, regardless of my age. So dancing, I shall do! Our group walked in and started chatting with each other, waiting for the band to start playing. The bouncer came to card us. It was all fine and dandy. We were on absolute best behavior, minding our business. Not even being obnoxiously ridiculous or anything. And then the bouncer approaches us. We knew what was coming... But who would kick out such well behaved young ladies? Apparently a bouncer that can't count. He came back to kick 2 of us out, the two of us with 1993 birthdays- which is this girl!! Apparently we were supposed to be 21 to enter the bar. Not 18 (like normal places aka my hometown: Atlanta) nor 19 (like everywhere else in Alabama). So our ignorant little selves were kicked out. And here's another little funny part: my friend has a 1992 birthday and is 20. That can happen, guys. I know. Crazy stuff. But Mr. Bouncer didn't know that, and he was letting her stay. Of course, when we knew we were breaking rules, we left. For real though, that was the worst bouncer ever. But we weren't going to be legit kicked out of a bar. We left with our dignity, which can't be said for most people kicked out of a bar, just sayin.
Sui juris Saturday! Those of you who don't like dictionaries, sui juris means free, as in Freedom, Merrica, and CIVILIZATION. SWEET CIVILIZATION!! On Saturday... we left the island. It was a thrilling experience, really. It's been so long since we've seen the world! It was all because we needed to go on our trip to WalMart. But if we're going that far out, we might as well go to Mobile and spend the day there! Yes, we do make good decisions. Part of our good decisions included Target, Starbucks, and Wintzell's Oyster House. At Starbucks, I made my first "Secret Menu" purchase, the Captain Crunch Frappuccino. (Thanks Angela!) And it just so happened that the Starbucks we were at was where the Captain Crunch Frappuccino was invented. I mean, who can say they had Captain Crunch where it was invented?! Only people who go to that Starbucks and order it... okay. So maybe a lot of people can say that. But I still think it's cool. Also, Nicholas Cage was in Mobile, somewhere filming some movie. So maybe we didn't actually see him... or even know where he was. But we looked for him for a little, and we were still in the same city as him, so we practically saw him. Got a famous coffee and almost saw a famous person... we're practically celebrities. The possibilities are endless when you're in civilization!
Social Sunday! First, church, like every Sunday. This week we visited the Methodist Church- super friendly people. And then it was beach time!! We were there all day, and I even fell asleep for a minute there. Like a nap. What?! I forgot those existed. This beach bum lifestyle... great stuff. But then when we got back to the Sea Lab, all of the new people were here for the next session! I LOVE new people! So that was fun. We have a couple new, very sweet girls on our hall. We spent tonight coloring in my room (and Anna's room- b/c we're roomies now!! YAYYY!!!). No, I am not 5 years old. Yes, I am 5 years old at heart. I will color without shame. But not without interruption, apparently. The boys decided that they wanted to show off for all the new girls and attack our hall. They skateboarded through the hall with Nerf Guns. Oh, and they toilet papered our halls too. They are 5 years old- it's not just at heart... it's at brain too. Anyways, boys, I hope you know this means war.
So that's this weekend in a nutshell. Super excited for my second First Day of School this summer. Tomorrow I'm starting Marine Invertebrates. And I know a bunch of wonderful people that will be in the class with me, so I'm pumped.
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Finals Week: Numero Uno
It's that time of year again... Finals Week! I seriously can not believe that I am almost done with my first class at DISL. It went by so quickly! And I still have so much studying to do! Ahhhh!! But writing this blog will serve as my study break. Here's what one does during Study Week at DISL...
Procrastinate! Do absolutely anything but studying! (Like write this blog post.) Man, we're good at this here. I mean, all college kids are pros at procrastination, but here there's a beach. Not even fair. It's like the Sea Lab doesn't want us to study. If they thought we should study, they wouldn't put all of us on a beach. Just putting two and two together here. But no worries! I plan on resisting the waves calling my name and killing my final and research presentation. Kill as in obliterate and Ace, that is.
Which brings me to my next update... our Research Project.
Spent all day on Saturday weighing our leaves, charting out leaves, burning our leaves, and weighing our leaves some more. That was to supposedly find biomass... Yeah, we TOTALLY RUINED this part of our experiment. A word to the wise: ALWAYS clarify between the oven and the furnace. Apparently, we should have weighed before and after the oven, not before and after the furnace. So we found organic matter of our plants instead of biomass. If we knew earlier, I guess we could have done both. Made it 200 tests instead of our measly 180. But we have enough data with those 180, I won't complain. Especially because I got the best part of this project (note sarcasm here): Results! Which means I get to analyze data, make it into pretty charts, and explain them during the presentation. It really wouldn't be too awful, but I made 16 charts. My apologies in advance, Botany class! Believe it or not, I could have easily doubled that number with all of the data we've collected.
I would say that our burning juncus was a waste of a Saturday, but it definitely wasn't. When Anna and I do research for extended amounts of time, the "crazy scientist" is brought out of us. We've invented a new, eco-friendly eye black. You're welcome, world.
Back to the fun stuff and procrastination... on Monday after dinner, we (Anna, Angela, and I) went to the beach. And all of our Zumba songs came on the radio!! So, of course, we stop tanning and start dancing. In public. On the beach. That's mostly normal, right?? Maybe not, but it was fun. And we got a work out. And no one knows us here... it's not like I have any pride left anyways. So it was a good decision.
And thennnnn... WE SAW A SHARK! Actually, multiple sharks. At least 4 of them. We just came back to shore from swimming and the guys fishing right next to us caught them. So we just swam with sharks. So cool! So cool! So cool! They were super cute, still babies. But none the less, I swam with sharks in the wild! (another first for me!) That's my story, and I'm stickin to it.
Today: I'm putting the powerpoint together for my Research Project. It's already 44 slides, and I'm not even done yet. Really, Botany class, I'm so so sorry. I wish it didn't have to be this way, but what can we do?? You're just going to have to survive through it. But at least you don't have to present it! And we're all science nerds... which means you will all love every second of the 4 hours we'll take to present our findings!
Procrastinate! Do absolutely anything but studying! (Like write this blog post.) Man, we're good at this here. I mean, all college kids are pros at procrastination, but here there's a beach. Not even fair. It's like the Sea Lab doesn't want us to study. If they thought we should study, they wouldn't put all of us on a beach. Just putting two and two together here. But no worries! I plan on resisting the waves calling my name and killing my final and research presentation. Kill as in obliterate and Ace, that is.
Which brings me to my next update... our Research Project.
Spent all day on Saturday weighing our leaves, charting out leaves, burning our leaves, and weighing our leaves some more. That was to supposedly find biomass... Yeah, we TOTALLY RUINED this part of our experiment. A word to the wise: ALWAYS clarify between the oven and the furnace. Apparently, we should have weighed before and after the oven, not before and after the furnace. So we found organic matter of our plants instead of biomass. If we knew earlier, I guess we could have done both. Made it 200 tests instead of our measly 180. But we have enough data with those 180, I won't complain. Especially because I got the best part of this project (note sarcasm here): Results! Which means I get to analyze data, make it into pretty charts, and explain them during the presentation. It really wouldn't be too awful, but I made 16 charts. My apologies in advance, Botany class! Believe it or not, I could have easily doubled that number with all of the data we've collected.
I would say that our burning juncus was a waste of a Saturday, but it definitely wasn't. When Anna and I do research for extended amounts of time, the "crazy scientist" is brought out of us. We've invented a new, eco-friendly eye black. You're welcome, world.
(We're serious about science. This juncus eye black proves it.)
Back to the fun stuff and procrastination... on Monday after dinner, we (Anna, Angela, and I) went to the beach. And all of our Zumba songs came on the radio!! So, of course, we stop tanning and start dancing. In public. On the beach. That's mostly normal, right?? Maybe not, but it was fun. And we got a work out. And no one knows us here... it's not like I have any pride left anyways. So it was a good decision.
And thennnnn... WE SAW A SHARK! Actually, multiple sharks. At least 4 of them. We just came back to shore from swimming and the guys fishing right next to us caught them. So we just swam with sharks. So cool! So cool! So cool! They were super cute, still babies. But none the less, I swam with sharks in the wild! (another first for me!) That's my story, and I'm stickin to it.
Today: I'm putting the powerpoint together for my Research Project. It's already 44 slides, and I'm not even done yet. Really, Botany class, I'm so so sorry. I wish it didn't have to be this way, but what can we do?? You're just going to have to survive through it. But at least you don't have to present it! And we're all science nerds... which means you will all love every second of the 4 hours we'll take to present our findings!
Monday, June 17, 2013
I'm going on a (Snorkeling) Adventure!
Overnight trip to Florida with my super cool Botany class? Yes, please!
On Thursday and Friday, we went on an adventure! Thursday was Port Saint Joe and Friday was Saint Andrew's.
At Port Saint Joe, we snorkeled in the 2-3 ft deep seagrass beds. Obviously, this is ridiculously shallow, so we were literally in the habitat... swimming through all of the sea grass as if we were a part of the ecosystem there. That was really cool. This place was full of life! Rays, welks, sand dollars, sea urchins, and starfish (Anna even found a super cute, baby starfish- no bigger than your thumb nail). Sea grass beds are nurseries, so there were tons of cute, little fish everywhere. But that means that it's also a great place for food, so there were some large fish that came in the sea grass as well. Those guys were fun because we played tag with them. It was pretty clear, so it was easy to see them, and they swam so fast- it was a fun game to try and touch them. As I've said before, scientists are really just a bunch of adults that act like kids. I wasn't lying. But this was seriously a way cool experience- felt like I was literally part of habitat.There was also a trench in between a couple sea grass beds. It had so many cool things! Whelks racing each other, spider crabs, hermit crabs... It was just full of sea life!
We snorkeled for much longer than we were supposed to, and because of that, we did not get dinner until 9:15pm. We were dying. But we went to this wonderful fish restaurant and ate entirely too much delicious food. Yes, marine biologists eat fish, for those of you who have asked. And we like it.
Then... Beach Party!! Chillin on the beach with Dr. Just, trying to see the glowing dinoflagellates in the ocean, listening to music, and discussing super nerdy/sciency things. We also came to the conclusion that Marine Biology is only 20% seriousness and 80% is enthusiasm, which I definitely have. Just said that there's also a bonus 5% of crazy, which I'm pretty sure my friends and I have in abundance.
Then to Saint Andrew's on Friday! This location was 20-30 ft deep with the deeper side behind the jetties. Because it was exceptionally deep, I got to use my fins for the first time!! Those things are huge and heavy, but man, do they work! I got a fantastic work out and moved very quickly though all those waves (while looking super legit in my gear, I might add). So what did we see? A couple rays, a toad fish, some UNA-spirited fish (Roar Lions!) aka little purple and yellow fish, a suh-weet glowing jellyfish, and a barracuda.
YES! A BARRACUDA!! Sooooooooooo awesome!! It was 4 feet long, and just a few yards from my face. I was LOVING it!! And I was too busy thinking about how cool it was, that I didn't even think to be afraid at the time. But for real, I was right next to a barracuda... in the wild...I love marine biology!
Then the drive back to DISL. With some super cool experiences and absolutely wonderful memories!
On Thursday and Friday, we went on an adventure! Thursday was Port Saint Joe and Friday was Saint Andrew's.
At Port Saint Joe, we snorkeled in the 2-3 ft deep seagrass beds. Obviously, this is ridiculously shallow, so we were literally in the habitat... swimming through all of the sea grass as if we were a part of the ecosystem there. That was really cool. This place was full of life! Rays, welks, sand dollars, sea urchins, and starfish (Anna even found a super cute, baby starfish- no bigger than your thumb nail). Sea grass beds are nurseries, so there were tons of cute, little fish everywhere. But that means that it's also a great place for food, so there were some large fish that came in the sea grass as well. Those guys were fun because we played tag with them. It was pretty clear, so it was easy to see them, and they swam so fast- it was a fun game to try and touch them. As I've said before, scientists are really just a bunch of adults that act like kids. I wasn't lying. But this was seriously a way cool experience- felt like I was literally part of habitat.There was also a trench in between a couple sea grass beds. It had so many cool things! Whelks racing each other, spider crabs, hermit crabs... It was just full of sea life!
We snorkeled for much longer than we were supposed to, and because of that, we did not get dinner until 9:15pm. We were dying. But we went to this wonderful fish restaurant and ate entirely too much delicious food. Yes, marine biologists eat fish, for those of you who have asked. And we like it.
Then... Beach Party!! Chillin on the beach with Dr. Just, trying to see the glowing dinoflagellates in the ocean, listening to music, and discussing super nerdy/sciency things. We also came to the conclusion that Marine Biology is only 20% seriousness and 80% is enthusiasm, which I definitely have. Just said that there's also a bonus 5% of crazy, which I'm pretty sure my friends and I have in abundance.
Then to Saint Andrew's on Friday! This location was 20-30 ft deep with the deeper side behind the jetties. Because it was exceptionally deep, I got to use my fins for the first time!! Those things are huge and heavy, but man, do they work! I got a fantastic work out and moved very quickly though all those waves (while looking super legit in my gear, I might add). So what did we see? A couple rays, a toad fish, some UNA-spirited fish (Roar Lions!) aka little purple and yellow fish, a suh-weet glowing jellyfish, and a barracuda.
YES! A BARRACUDA!! Sooooooooooo awesome!! It was 4 feet long, and just a few yards from my face. I was LOVING it!! And I was too busy thinking about how cool it was, that I didn't even think to be afraid at the time. But for real, I was right next to a barracuda... in the wild...I love marine biology!
Then the drive back to DISL. With some super cool experiences and absolutely wonderful memories!
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
Laboratory Marathon. We go hard.
Let's research the marsh, they said.
It'll be fun, they said.
Let's collect juncus, they said.
It'll be fun, they said.
Let's find canopy height, they said.
It'll be fun, they said.
Let's measure elevation, they said.
It'll be fun, they said.
Let's find water nutrients, they said.
It'll be fun, they said.
Let's find salinity, they said.
It'll be fun, they said.
Let's find the density, they said.
It'll be fun, they said.
Let's find the percent cover, they said.
It'll be fun, they said.
Let's separate live and dead plant matter, they said.
It'll be fun, they said.
Let's study the soil organic matter, they said.
It'll be fun, they said.
Let's find the biomass, they said.
It'll be fun, they said.
The "they" stated above is me and my research project group. The "they" is also synonymous with "crazies," "over-achievers," "people who rather not have lives," or "juncus-haters."
Juncus. It's really a compound word. It's a pile of junk (junc) and makes you want to cuss (cus). Alright... Maybe I've overstated that, just a little. But WE ARE RIDICULOUS. Today was supposed to be study day. But no. I woke up, ate, and got to work with Anna on the project. At 4:30pm, we were done with that crap. Not done as in accomplished/finished. We wished. Done as in fed-up. And we're only taking a quick break for dinner. We went back to work right away and left the lab just a little over 9pm. So it was a long day, to say the least. At least 8 hours doing lab work. We go hard. But good news... WE'RE FREAKIN DONE! With this step anyways... Soil Organic Matter is COMPLETELY DONE!!! Weeeeeee!! And our plants are sorted and ready for 48 hours in the dryer and then oven time this weekend. It was super important for us to finish today though because our Botany class is leaving for a trip tomorrow morning at 6am, so we have zero time for our project the next couple of days. Accomplishment! Such a lovely word.
Oh! And just a fun fact for you all: Anna is an animal killer. First she viciously stomps a dragonfly to death, and then she runs over nutrias. It's either "natural selection" because they were too dumb to get out of her way or she's a "botany saver" because nutria endanger local wetlands and she rids the world of them. Just a heads up to all you wildlife out there: Stay away from Anna!!
It'll be fun, they said.
Let's collect juncus, they said.
It'll be fun, they said.
Let's find canopy height, they said.
It'll be fun, they said.
Let's measure elevation, they said.
It'll be fun, they said.
Let's find water nutrients, they said.
It'll be fun, they said.
Let's find salinity, they said.
It'll be fun, they said.
Let's find the density, they said.
It'll be fun, they said.
Let's find the percent cover, they said.
It'll be fun, they said.
Let's separate live and dead plant matter, they said.
It'll be fun, they said.
Let's study the soil organic matter, they said.
It'll be fun, they said.
Let's find the biomass, they said.
It'll be fun, they said.
The "they" stated above is me and my research project group. The "they" is also synonymous with "crazies," "over-achievers," "people who rather not have lives," or "juncus-haters."
Juncus. It's really a compound word. It's a pile of junk (junc) and makes you want to cuss (cus). Alright... Maybe I've overstated that, just a little. But WE ARE RIDICULOUS. Today was supposed to be study day. But no. I woke up, ate, and got to work with Anna on the project. At 4:30pm, we were done with that crap. Not done as in accomplished/finished. We wished. Done as in fed-up. And we're only taking a quick break for dinner. We went back to work right away and left the lab just a little over 9pm. So it was a long day, to say the least. At least 8 hours doing lab work. We go hard. But good news... WE'RE FREAKIN DONE! With this step anyways... Soil Organic Matter is COMPLETELY DONE!!! Weeeeeee!! And our plants are sorted and ready for 48 hours in the dryer and then oven time this weekend. It was super important for us to finish today though because our Botany class is leaving for a trip tomorrow morning at 6am, so we have zero time for our project the next couple of days. Accomplishment! Such a lovely word.
Oh! And just a fun fact for you all: Anna is an animal killer. First she viciously stomps a dragonfly to death, and then she runs over nutrias. It's either "natural selection" because they were too dumb to get out of her way or she's a "botany saver" because nutria endanger local wetlands and she rids the world of them. Just a heads up to all you wildlife out there: Stay away from Anna!!
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