First Paper

So believe it or not, I have not had to write anything substantial since I got here until now. (But it is grad school, they should just let me do research already!). Now I have a paper due tomorrow on benthic biological oceanography and I am having flash-backs of my undergraduate career of intense and unyielding procrastination; relentlessly checking and rechecking my mail, blogging, eating, doing anything but my paper--it is rearing its ugly head once again. While I have a (thankfully) natural ability to read and absorb countless scientific journal articles, having to spew out the appropriate scientific nomenclature is not my forte. Ugh.

And Grey's Anatomy is on tonight at the same time as the Office! What am I to do? Well, if I don't get cracking on this paper, I won't be able to see either one.

On another note, I had my lab on genetics today. I love my Thursday lab. It is a smaller group. I know I shouldn't pick favorites, but they are so much more attentive and curious. They all have great questions are really seem to want to learn the science behind it. I love it! It is so rewarding when I can get them interested (especially because they are all non-majors and will probably not end up taking any other science classes). We took blood today and tested whether we were color blind and other genetic excitements. They got really into it (although I did have to prick most of their fingers for them...they were a little squeamish, but they did it and that is what counts).

My dad sent me this picture. It is a picture of me!


Also, I'm developing the semi-obligatory graduate student addiction to coffee... I'll have to detox at Christmas--is it sad I'm already thinking about Christmas?

UPDATE: I just beasted out my paper and realized that it is only supposed to be two pages DOUBLE-SPACED!! What? Am I in grad school? Once I double spaced it, it was close to five pages. So..I need to make it shorter. But, I understand. Now that I'm a teacher, I know how much fun it is to read papers. There was a homework assignment due this week and my students had to talk about osmoregulation--one student gave me a paper about plants. Now, plants do osmoregulate, but we are in a zoology class, not botany!! If she had written a paper that made sense it would have been fine, but these words were literally just random groups of nouns and verbs that made no sense together. One of the sentences was "Plants are often found close to their environments." Well...yes, I guess that is true, but WHAT? Ok, I need to be nice. I'm being mean. At least she tried. I gave her a 7, even though it basically made no sense at all. I'm a pushover...

I need a car...

I have decided that I need to get a car because it seems that the bus is a creepy pick-up place for weirdo guys that say uncomfortable things to me. Or at least that is how it has been so far. I think I am too friendly. People talk to me and I respond because I don't want to be rude. It is analogous to being on the plane and being stuck next to someone who starts talking at the beginning of the trip--once that line is crossed, you can't go back. You can't stop talking because it gets awkward. You can't just take your book out and make them shut up. Well, maybe you can, but I can't. Tonight, I had another such encounter. This guy was fine. Friendly at first, but then...too friendly. It was raining and he told me that it felt as if the sunshine came out when I came to the bus stop. He said he wished he felt as good as he did standing next to me every day. And yes, those are nice things to say--but not at a bus stop! And of course we were on the same bus and he sat next to me. And I continued chatting because I am awkward. And then he wanted my phone number and I made up some excuse about not having a phone yet since I just moved here. So he gave me his number and wants me to call him. The worst part is, he got off at the same bus stop and lives on the same street as me!! I walked into a store so I could get him off my trail so he didn't know where I live. Ugh. I need pepper spray. Or I need to keep my mouth shut and never respond when someone starts talking to me on the bus or at a bus stop.

In other news, I had a great talk with Les today! Yay!! I am going to get to study what I want and he is supportive 100%. I need to just de-stress already. I live in Hawaii for gosh sakes. I need some of that Aloha mentality. Chillax.

Here is a rainbow I saw from my window


Also, I am out of cheese. It is a sad day in a young girl's life when there is no cheese in the refrigerator.

Fun with New Computer

I haven't named it yet. My new computer needs a name. Hmm. In the meantime, I've been having fun with the built in camera. Yay! Here are some pseudo-artistic silly photos of myself.



Other than getting acquainted with my computer, I have been trying to get organized. I think Les is a little frustrated with me because I am not settled on a proposal for research. But the thing is, I've talked to many of the other students who say that you take the first two years to figure it out. Then I get these other messages that I need to know exactly what I'm doing right now. Ahh! Also, since I probably won't be working under Les, I need to figure out if there is anyone else who wants me. What will I do if they don't?

The bus has been really crowded recently. We get packed in like sardines and while I'm standing with my arm up, reaching for the bar, with my armpit in someone's face, I feel like I'm in a deodorant commercial.

HIMB

This weekend I went to the Hawaiian Institute of Marine Biology (HIMB) on Coconut Island in Kaneohe Bay. It's on the other side of the island. It was beautiful--it's a whole different island over there. I am hoping to do research over there and probably will end up moving to that side of the island eventually.

Here are some photos :)





We also saw a Cassiopeia cnidaria there which is the "upside-down jellyfish." They sit with their bell on the bottom with their tentacles spread around above them in the water column. They have symbiotic bacteria that photosynthesize for them so they can just sit on the bottom and chill in the sunlight getting all the energy they need. Here is a photo of one that we picked up and put in a bucket. It looks right side up because when we released it, it had some air in it's bell. We fixed it later though :)



Afterward, I went to a friends house, drank some wine, and watched Jane Austen Book Club. When I went home, there were a million people out at the bars, dressed in very little clothing. I had a moment where I all of the sudden realized that I am old. If everyone around you is young--it stands to reason that you are old. So I'm old. I used to go out and have fun, but I guess my priorities are elsewhere now. Or maybe it's because I don't have time anymore. Now I know why scientists are always thought of as antisocial, lonely, nerds. It's not that we don't want to go out really, we just get caught up in all the research and forget how to talk to people, dance, flirt, or any other social graces. Oh well, soon I'll be living on an even smaller island and barely see people so I won't have to worry!

Mural

My brother did the coolest mural on my sister and my friend's wall.





Other than that, I'm stressed. Getting back to work....

No wonder they call it "hump day"

So today was the perfect blend of the good, the bad, and maybe a little of the ugly. First the good: My new computer and printer came today! Then the bad: My external hard drive with all my photos and documents and music died (almost at the exact same moment the computer arrived)... And the ugly: I stepped on a piece of glass and cut my foot pretty badly and made a mess all over the carpet because I don't have band-aids. I found out my mom isn't coming to Hawaii in October anymore. But, I talked to a woman today who studied the species of octopus I want to study and she helped me a lot and is willing to help more in the future. So that's another good thing.

I don't understand how this happens everyday. I get home and am exhausted and before I know it, it's 10pm and I haven't accomplished anything and I need to get up at 6:30 tomorrow to get the lab ready (hopefully tomorrow goes a little better). Ok, well, I am going to make myself some tea, read an article, and then go to bed.

I'm listening to Laura Marling, The National, and Captain Beefheart (not simultaneously) right now in my life. They are all awesome.

Teaching is hard...

Seriously. I think I was always one of those nerdy students who was super academic and loved and respected my teachers, so I never really realized how hard it must be to teach a room full of kids who are mostly uninterested and want to leave. That's what happened to me today. I felt like it was an uphill battle today to get anyone to do anything! I don't know what it was--but maybe osmosis and diffusion is not super exciting... There was one student who took his computer out and was blatantly chatting with someone online!! What am I supposed to do with that?! I told them that cell phones will NOT be acceptable--but I never thought they would just whip out their computers! I felt kind of crushed. I want my students to like me, but I don't want them to walk all over me. I just felt like I lost control over them. Ugh. Hopefully next week will be better. This lab was just horrible. Nothing was going right. None of the experiments turned out the way they were supposed to. I had to tell then what was supposed to happen--but where's the fun in that? Oh well.

Although, I did have one student who is a glass blower (and I got really excited because I want to take a class--and apparently the program here is top notch) who says she wants to bring in some of the water that they dip their glass into to see if anything is living in there. So, I was pretty happy about that. She is interested enough to find something outside of class and bring it in to look at it.

Also, what am I going to do about House and The Biggest Loser being on t.v. at the same time!? I think I am going to have to watch House first and then the last hour of TBL. These are the important questions. These are the struggles keeping me up at night.