Commentary on Controversy

So I had a small conversation with someone today regarding a controversial presentation on some aspect of biological research. The person seemed extremely put off by the views presented, particularly taking umbrage with the mere fact that it was so controversial. That got me thinking...there are so many people out there who are so set in their image of reality that they aren't even willing to open their eyes to a new viewpoint or idea. Just because something is controversial doesn't mean it is something to overlook altogether. Our world is full of so many wonderous things that we are only beginning to understand, and it is very arrogant of us to assume that we know everything and that things are always as they appear. Were it not for controversial, forward thinkers, we could still believe the world was flat. We could still consider the idea that many illnesses are brought on by microorganisms to be unfathomable. We may never have begun to understand the workings of molecules and chemical processes. So many of the obvious facts of today, not to mention many of our modern conveniences and progresses would never have been realized. Just because we seem to think we're so advanced today doesn't mean that we've already discovered everything there is to know. What worries me most is that so many scientists subscribe to their pet paradigms and often go so far as to throw out data that may indicate that things are other than as they believe. There are many examples of such things in all fields including biology, archaeology, paleontology, physics, and so on. We need scientists, heck, everyone for that matter, to open their eyes and open their minds...there is an amazing world out there that we have yet to discover, and pooh poohing someone's potentially innovative idea outright may hinder the acquisition of such things. I'm not saying we should agree with everything and not question whatever is told to us...quite the contrary! ALWAYS question what is told to you! However, don't just disregard someone else's hypothoses without serious, honest testing yourself. Just because it may not fit into your world view doesn't mean that things aren't that way. We live in a mysterious world, and only by opening our minds will we facilitate paving the road to discovery.

Stargazing

It's been another productive couple of days, catching up on the usual drudgery, but also incorporating some fun. Yesterday, after an abnormally long absence, we returned to Putt Putt to partake in their Super Saturday Special. We played two exciting rounds of mini golf, indulged on our complimentary peanut butter M&Ms, and played in the arcade. As usual, I won Flaming Finger's jackpot on my first try, subsequent tries being much harder. I did manage to win a large jackpot on my last try of the day, however, thanks to the fact that some idiot slimed the screen with who knows what...it was absolutely disgusting, but I got a nice amount of tickets out of it. Still, thinking back on it really grosses me out. *shudder*

The day before that, I put together a lunch at the all-you-can-eat sushi restaurant near campus - it was a great turnout - mostly old Hanta crewers (Liz, Jewels, Scott, and Sarah), but Nate came, too! Not everyone knew each other, but everyone hit it off splendidly, and we all had a great time. Nate and I gorged ourselves on sushi while the others were a bit more discreet. Hopefully I can get us all together again for another fun luncheon.

The night before THAT, Scott, Sarah, Jim, Nate and I met up for dinner at the Standard Diner. I'd driven past the place several times before and just assumed it was a diner, and a standard one at that. I couldn't have been more wrong. It turned out it was another one of NM's signature trendy yuppie hangouts. The food was all pretty pricey, and each item featured a strange twist...there were burgers adorned with crabcakes, mac and cheese with green chile, chicken fried sashimi-grade tuna...even the water came with a cucumber instead of a lemon! Nate and I weren't that thrilled with our selections, but that's not to say other things might not have been good. Places like this like to experiment, and a lot of times what they concoct isn't the best...but I can't imagine you could go too wrong with crabcakes and burgers (though Scott said the crabcakes from Jinja were better). Still, for an unusual pseudo-diner experience, it's worth checking out.

Other than that, last night, Nate and I decided to drive out to the east side of the Sandia's in search of Comet Holmes, currently the largest single object in our solar system (the diameter of its coma is larger than the sun!). We finally found a pull off that was devoid of light and scanned the sky with our binoculars. Finally, Nate noticed a dim, fuzzy circle alongside a bright star - we don't know what else it could have been! So we watched it for a while...it's really not all that spectacular, but it was satisfying to know we were able to spot the thing. It's too bad we live amidst all the city lights - I wish we could just sit on our porch and stargaze sometimes - you never know what you might see!

So that's life 'til now...it's always an adventure!

Some Down Time

Yesterday was so productive! Our internet has been down for about a week, so I wound up staying home most of the day to wait on the repairman. While doing so, I was able to do some much-needed organizing in the kitchen - it's a whole new place in there! I found items I didn't even know we had. Before the repairman came, I was also able to swing over to the Coldwell Banker office I'll be working from in January - I attended their weekly meeting and was introduced to everyone. I felt rather out of place, being a full blooded biologist, but everyone seemed welcoming and kind, so that was wonderful. Hopefully I can be successful in my new endeavor!

Beyond that, I was also able to schedule a dentist appointment for the afternoon and had the cleaning I was long overdue for. From there, I got a haircut - it was such a productive day! I felt unbeatable.

That evening, Nate and I met Bob for dinner at Landry's - a seafood place that I usually love. For some reason, though, this evening's food seemed excessively greasy and I wound up feeling really off that night. Today I was afflicted with food poisoning and wound up staying home again. I just couldn't do anything without feeling nauseated, and I was completely out of energy to boot. I slept most of the day, and I really did need it. I did manage to (finally) compose my NYC narrative (three months after the fact), and I'm so glad it's done. I was also able to talk to my good friend Jenny on the phone for a while - it is always so nice to catch up with her!! I feel bad that it's so hard for us to get a hold of one another, though. :(

So that's life on this end. I should probably get back to resting...as much as I'd like to, I really shouldn't take any more days off if I can help it!

Random Ramblings...

So that last blog was rushed out, seeing as how a bunch of people converged on my office and it probably wouldn't look to good to have the star employee *blushes* pounding out a blog entry. I really am missing having coworkers these days - right now, it's just my supervisor, Megan (whom I rarely see), and me - the camaraderie is gone, and it's sad. Still, I love the independence! I wonder how it's going to be when I change jobs this January - hopefully the best of both worlds!

I'm still recovering from a huge lunch at the new Indian buffet across the street from campus. The food was just amazing, and it's really hard not to gorge yourself. It was good to catch up with Scott a while, too - we were sharing our respective stories of living in Utah today. What an experience!

Upon my return to DNA extractions, I came to realize that the serum we create looks an awful lot like the homemade stout beer Nate helped make at Ed and Kathy's house. Come this December, we'll be able to make our own, too! Anyway, working on the samples actually made me crave beer...I guess that's not as bad as those times in the arthropod collection at U of I when I'd think the insects suspended in ethanol resembled French onion soup and started craving THAT! Hah!

In other news, my last anger class was this past Tuesday...it covered how to deal with angry people, and I found it extremely useful. I couldn't help envisioning The Tyrant aka the Door Nazi throughout the session. I think I'll be better able to handler her in the future (although what I did in the first place was pretty much what was advocated...however I'll be able to deal with the situation in my own mind a bit better). It will take a lot of work, but I'm sure I'll eventually be able to overcome most of my anger issues. At least I don't take it out on people - that was the issue most of my classmates had (which made class rather frightening!). I just need to let go and not let it simmer.

Well, it is nearing the end of the day, and it's FRIDAY!! Thank goodness. I just remembered Nate and I will be going to see his aunt and cousins perform in a Thai dance and music routine this weekend, so that should be fun. As for me, I better get the heck outa here before it gets too dark - I have enough trouble seeing in day light! Have a good weekend, everyone!

At a Distance

It's been a grueling week, mostly because my home internet has been spotty, and I can only do my web-based activities from work. I've meant to write in my blog, but at day's end, I just want to go home. I've also been giving this whole "blog" thing a lot of thought. I meant to use this as a form of journal so I can document my experiences, but then I realized that the multitude of emails I write are essentially doing the same thing...I write some of the most vivid accounts of my life in email form, so why do I even need a blog? Well, those emails are only shared with a select few, but this blog allows me to share with everyone who has an interest. Granted, I probably won't go into all the details here as I might to a good friend, but I intend to recount and recreate all I can for my dear readers...

Not too much has been happening this past week, actually. I finally finished up my extraction plates yesterday, leaving only 90 stragglers to go. I prefer doing the individual ones as it is, since I can settle in the back of the lab and be lost in my own world for a while. Then there's the hour and a half breaks I love, during which I can retreat to my office and play on the internet. Good times.

Another good thing about being done with plates is not having to strain my eyes. After looking at things up-close for hours on end, it's been doing a job on my vision. Yesterday, walking back to the car, I saw something that looked like a UFO - it was saucer shaped and charcoal grey, mostly stationary, but occasionally bobbing around like a kite. I couldn't make it out for the life of me, but I figured that when I drove past it in a couple of minutes (I'd watched it for five minutes already) I could see it better. Of course it was gone by the time I went over there, so who knows what I might have seen. Between missing out on cool sightings and accidentally ignoring people I know because I don't recognize them, this eye strain has got to stop. I've spent enough money getting my eyes fixed in the first place that I don't need to have them ruined again.

Thank goodness it's Friday, too! I've got a pretty chill weekend planned for once. No madcap adventures this time, thank you! Just a vet appointment for Jolene and lots of errands to run. Hopefully I'll have more interesting things to yak about next time! As for now, it's back to work!