An auspicious number

Sora pointed out the other day that this is a milestone you reach approximately 27 years and 5 months into life... Excel helped us figure out that, for me, that day is today.

I know I said no more driving....

So, I'm getting back in the car tomorrow, to meet the 'rents on the Oregon coast. So I'll get a little bit of vacation. Then back in SC for a day, then to Nevada for one last field work hurrah before the quarter starts. Then no vacation until Christmas, nose to the grindstone, pedal to the medal, burning the candle at both ends, you get the picture.

And more transience. I'm coming to grips with the transience. Considering how much advance planning I don't typically do, I feel like I'm starting to see how the next 2 years map out. It evens seems possible that I'll spend more time away from Santa Cruz than in it. But that is jumping off the bridge before I get to it.

Anyway, I'll post some Oregon coast pictures when I get back. In the meantime, we had an unprecidented number of people in the lab, working away today, and were entertained by this episode of the This American Life called "Running After Antelope." which is mostly the story about a man chasing antelope. According to Kena, this man's brother (referred to throughout the story) is a big-whig in the animal morphology world - Kena's students are often entertained by hearing about the lizard that can't breath when it runs. Give it a listen if you have samples to weigh out or plants/rocks/animal parts to crush. Or any other brainless activity to do. Or want inspiration for a new training regime (the campus deer, perhaps?). We were all rooting for the guy to catch the antelope.....

Pork Plasma?

So, as I waited to pay the toll in Decatur to cross the Missouri River into Iowa, I saw a tanker trunk in front of me. I wouldn't have payed much attention except for this warning on the back: "Inedible...something non-food grade something.....pork plasma.

First of all, when was the last time you wanted to order up some pork plasma for dinner? In fairness, I did eat pork blood in SE China, but it is served in little rectangles with a tofu-like texture and is tasty and salty, but still not common in american cuisine.

Which leads to the second thought that crossed my mind. Let's say you did have a hankering for pork plasma. With or without the "inedible" warning, would you really walk up to a tanker truck full of the stuff and try to get a swig? Curious.

And the third thought. What IS non-food grade pork plasma used for and for that matter what is food-grade pork plasma used for?

The googling effort on this will just have to wait.

Back to the roots

A prairie home companion felt oddly relevant this morning. For the midwestern contingent, I hope you all caught the parent-phone-call sketch and the monologue in the second half of the show. It pretty much covered all the bases for me, made me laugh and I'm excited to be back there in a couple days. Save some lilacs for me, I'll be there soon!

Global FOO

In the course of a conversation with Sabe & Tom (college friends), we got on the subject of the terms "Global Warming" vs "Global Climate Change". Global Warming is an accurate term, at least in the context of the average global condition, but it doesn't really reflect differences in local and regional climate response to global warming (like the fact that Europe will likely get colder as a result) - hence, the term "global climate change." But, this term (to me anyway) makes it sound as though the current situation is a strictly natural phenomenon.

So, here is a new term, complete with an easy acronym: Global _ing Ourselves Over. Fill in the blank.

Catchy, accurate, what more could you want? Thanks Tom!