Sam's Graduation

Sam went through the graduation ceremony last Saturday on the 16th. She actually finished her degree this past August. I have really missed having Sam around the office. Here's a pic of Sam and Liliane, Sam and me, Sam and Deyo, and Stormie and me. Liliane and Deyo are TA's at school. Stormie graduated this past May and is now working on a Master's degree in Houston.

Snow

We had snow the earlier this month (Nov. 30 & Dec. 1). It was finally feeling like December, ahhh winter! Our area got a lot of snow when the cold front came through. The schools were actually out for 2 days! Yay, Brian and I had a 4-day weekend! I stayed in the house both days except to get these pics. Raddy loved the snow. He was so excited. He was running around and making sure he didn't go his usual route along the fence. No, he wanted to walk right through all the deepest snow. But sometimes he'd get to a spot that the snow came up to his chest, and then he decided he wouldn't walk through that. I put his coat on him, mostly to keep him dry for when I let him back in the house. His hair is getting longer so the snow was clumping up in his hair on his legs. He'd come in the house and I would try to get the snow-clumps out of his fur, but sometimes they were stuck in there. I'd just let them melt or Raddy would chew them off. Anyway, the snow stayed around until Sunday. It was fun while it lasted.
Well, now it's back to normal global warming and we're back in the 60 degree weather. I really get a little upset when it's not cold outside and it's supposed to be winter. I actually like the cold. Oh well, I'll get a good dose of it when we go to Washington for Christmas!
Hey the weather people say it might be cold for Christmas here in Altus, maybe even some snow! Ooooooooh wow! Better get out the gloves! hee hee

10 Things You Can Do

Change a light--we switched all of our lights to the compact flourescent light bulbs two years ago; guess what? it's true--they are still going without having to change them. I'll let you know if they actually last the 5-7 years, but you'll have to wait.

Drive less--still working on that one!

Recycle more--does it count that I recycle the wal-mart sacks into trash bags? we need recycling facilities in our town!

Check your tires--of course I do this, and I get 37-40 mpg on my corolla! I think I want a hybrid camry next...

Use less hot water--I started doing all my laundry with cold water

Avoid products with alot of packaging--not having money helps me with this one

Adjust your thermostat--we put our thermostat from 68 last year to 66 this year. I can't really tell the difference. Besides, you're supposed to wear warmer clothes in the winter!

Plant a tree--We planted one a couple of years ago, but we also had one chopped down and are planning on chopping another one down next summer. I'll plant some bushes to make up for it!

Turn off electronic devices--do you know that those cell phone chargers take up so much energy just by being plugged in when they're not in use? I started unplugging all my devices that I could (toaster, blender, mixer, cell phone charger, curling iron) because just leaving them plugged in wastes electricity! Now if I could just talk Brian into turning off the computer more!

An Inconvenient Truth

I think everyone should see this movie. Even if you think you know all you need to about global warming, see it anyway! If you don't really know anything about global warming, see it!!

I think Al Gore does a wonderful job on this film. It is a documentary about the work he's been doing to make people aware of global warming and what we can do about it.

Watch it! Do something!
Check out the link on Climate Crisis! Click on the "Pledge to see" in the black box underneath the link if you plan to see this movie. Hey family...I can bring it with me for the Christmas visit. Although, his movie might make all your warm, fuzzy Christmasy feelings not last as long...

Heather is Engaged

Recently Heather (Brian's sister) and Nick became engaged. They are planning on having the wedding in the summer. I am so excited that they are getting married (finally!). Heather's engagement ring looks gorgeous, and she is so happy right now. She also asked me to be her matron of honor at the wedding! Yay! I am excited about that. I am actually looking forward to helping her with anything she needs. Online we looked at wedding dresses, a dress for me, bouquets, flowers, cakes, etc. It was fun. Of course Heather has a little more endurance than I do when it comes to looking at all these things. I think most of it looks pretty, but I don't have to make the decisions.

Rabbit

There was a baby rabbit on my porch hiding in between the potted plants. It was so cute. This is the best picture I could get before it ran away.

Research Update

I wanted to update what's been happening on my research so far. I have started purifying the crude skin extract. Right now it's going a little slow but like Dr. Scales once told me, "You'll get done when you get done." So I am still working on it.
Here' s some pics from the beginning of school. Doesn't Dr. Scales look cool?

My Furry Pets

All my furry pets are doing great! Sarah, the calico cat, is as fat as ever. When people come over to the house they comment on how fat Sarah is getting. Hey, she's been fat! The only time she was skinny was when I first got her, and she had tapeworms! She was so skinny I thought she was going to die. She didn't want to eat so I had to feed her beef broth through an eye-dropper. I was either nuts or I loved her!
Abigail is good, too. She's been wanting my attention a lot. It's so funny, but I will try to relax by doing this yoga & pilates DVD. So the lady on the DVD is saying very slowly and calmly, "Breath in and breath out. Feel the facial muscles relax...the jaw softens...feel your breath coming in--"
then I yell "Get away cat! I'm trying to relax!" Abigail wants to be right there next to me. I'm lying on the floor and she's rubbing her face on my toes, then on my hands. She's putting her face in mine. So this morning she was on the mat right next to my head. That's fine as long as she is not rubbing her face on my nose!
And Raddy...he goes outside when I try to do the yoga/pilates. Otherwise he'll sit there and stare at me while wagging his tail. If I close my eyes I feel him pawing at my arm. Anyway, he's still a great dog. He's my furry baby. I'm letting his hair grow out now. I have been getting his hair cut short for 2 years now and I wanted to see it grown out again. It's still short right now but it's growing.

Christmas Plans

Brian and I are excited because we bought our plane tickets last night. (Thanks Mamaw!!) We are looking forward to seeing everyone this Christmas. We will be staying for a total of 2 weeks, part of the time in Spokane and part of that time in Seattle. Yay!

What's new

School started again and I am teaching Botany labs (3). I am not the coordinator as I requested, and I am very happy about this. Less stress and work! Bikash (the new coordinator) gets to tell me what to do, and I like that better than being the one to do all the planning. (At least for now anyways!) I have been working in the lab, and it is the kind of work that needs me to be here almost every day! This week I am staying a couple nights at Sharon's (biology department secretary) house. That way I can save on time, gas money, etc. So school is going well now. It has been lonely though since my friend Sam graduated. I miss seeing her at school!

I went to the doctor recently because I was having some weird things happening with my heart. I had to have an EKG, blood work, and wear a Holter heart monitor for 24 hours. The blood work was fine. I was good on everything except my sodium was slightly below normal. So I think that is good anyway. The EKG looked normal. The doctor told me to take it easy when I was wearing the monitor so I did. I sat around and watched TV, or read a book, and I also did some laundry and ironing. The monitor showed that my heart rate was normal (in the 70's) then it would jump up between 120-150. It was up and down like that all day. But that's when I felt normal. The reason I went to the doctor was because I would feel a very fast heart rate when I would begin exercising. It was too high for the amount of work I was doing. This was in February. This summer I started getting the feeling of my heart beating too fast and I would be out of breath just from vacuuming the living room (like a heart rate of 168!). I found out this is called heart palpitations. In August I started having palpitations just sitting watching TV. I couldn't walk up a flight of stairs without having palpitations. Sometimes my heart would feel like it was jumping around in my chest. I also had trouble sleeping because I could feel a very strong heart beat. I would feel my pulse in my arms, hands, and my head and neck. It also felt like my head and neck had a lot of pressure. Sometimes the pulse would be in my whole body, so it was very hard to sleep if my whole body is throbbing! The cardiologist said that I have paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia (PSVT) which I found out is actually the same as paroxysmal atrial tachycardia (PAT), the same thing Mamaw has. I have been on medication to slow my heart down for about a week now. It seems to be helping. I still have a little problem at night when I try to sleep, but not nearly as bad. During the day I don't notice a fast heart beat but I have had palpitations a few times. I think I have gotten used to the side effects of the medicine. I don't have anymore problem with light-headedness. I still feel tired sometimes. I think the medicine has helped me a lot. I will keep you updated with anything new.

Brian is enjoying school so far this year. He says that he has a great bunch of students, and he is enjoying going to work.

Under the Vulture-Tree

I love this poem about vultures. Around Altus we have vultures called turkey vultures (because of the way they look). This poem is about a creature that most people see as ugly, gross, and maybe even unimportant. The author starts out the poem addressing the bird that many have seen but not given much thought to. Then he has an experience where he realizes what they really are, and he can see it.

I love the picture of a tree full of vultures with shiny black feathers and red, wrinkled heads (black leaves and pink fruit). I also love how he describes their heads as red and ugly as a human heart. Human hearts are not very pretty but aren't they so needed and loved! It's not that I love vultures but this poem makes me appreciate them more.

Under the Vulture-Tree
by David Bottoms

We have all seen them circling pastures,
have looked up from the mouth of a barn, a pine clearing,
the fences of our own backyards, and have stood
amazed by the one slow wing beat, the endless dihedral drift.
But I had never seen so many so close, hundreds,
every limb of the dead oak feathered black,

and I cut the engine, let the river grab the jon boat
and pull it toward the tree.
The black leaves shined, the pink fruit blossomed
red, ugly as a human heart.
Then, as I passed under their dream, I saw for the first time
its soft countenance, the raw fleshy jowls
wrinkled and generous, like the faces of the very old
who have grown to empathize with everything.

And I drifted away from them, slow, on the pull of the river,
reluctant, looking back at their roost,
calling them what I'd never called them, what they are,
those dwarfed transfiguring angels,
who flock to the side of the poisoned fox, the mud turtle
crushed on the shoulder of the road,
who pray over the leaf-graves of the anonymous lost,
with mercy enough to consume us all and give us wings.

Six Flags

For vacation we went to Six Flags in Arlington, TX. Brian and I went with his mom, Jill, his sister, Heather and her boyfriend, Nick. We had a really great time overall. We stayed at a nice hotel by the Grapevine Mills Mall. We spent time shopping at the mall on the first day. The next day we went to Six Flags and it was super busy! It was hot because as you all know everyone is having a heat wave lately. The lines were so long that we were waiting in line for one ride about an hour! Then the ride is only about 2 minutes! It was crazy. I don't ride the roller coasters but only the water rides. I can't handle the excitement of those roller coasters I guess. So I got to ride three water rides, a Spongebob Squarepants 3D movie-ride, and I saw a show. The show was the "Amazing Acrobats of China" and they were amazing! They were so awesome and I was really impressed. That show made the waiting, heat, and stress all worth it.

I got pics of Brian, Nick and Heather standing in line. Also, I got a pic of me and Scooby-doo. I still love Scooby after all these years. I'm also a penny collector--you know, those penny machines that flatten the penny and press a picture into it. I got one of Scooby but when I got home I could not find it.

Monday's interview

Well, I think the interview went very well! I went in there just being myself, and I feel like I answered all of their questions well. They were all very positive and I think it would be a great place to work. They told me they would get back to me soon and they got back to me today! That was fast! I didn't get the job...they said that they needed someone who could take on a full load of classes. I couldn't do that because I don't have my master's degree yet. So they hired someone who already does. Hey, I can't blame them. I am disappointed but I still have a lot of work to do at school. I think the interview was a good experience for me.

Pirates movie

Brian, his sister (Heather), her boyfriend (Nick), and I went to see the new Pirates of the Carribbean movie. It was good. Actually, I thought it was great until the end. If you haven't seen it then I won't ruin it for you. If you liked the first one, this one is even better! Just thought I'd let you know!

Interview!

I got a call yesterday, and I have an interview on Monday for the full-time biology instructor position. I am really excited about it. I think it would be really nice to have this job, and I think there are a lot of advantages for me. I'll let you know how it goes.

Hey, I added some posts that I had made previously on June 15, so check them out below! Also I finally answered some of your comments.

Grilling

Here I am grilling. I got a new grill back in April. In this pic I've got the brisket and potatoes on the grill. I had to add other things later. I love my new grill because it's got the two sections and the coals can be moved up or down. I like to grill on the weekends, and I love grilled food. I will grill pretty much anything. I got a new cookbook for grilling that has recipes for desserts on the grill. I can't wait to try them out.

Research Lab

Here's the lab at school. This is where I am doing my research. This is Dr. Scale's lab, but I use it, along with other students who work with him on other research projects. It looks messy in this pic, and it usually is! There is another side of this lab that looks about the same. This is the side I usually work on, but it depends who else is working in the lab at the time.

I haven't been working in the lab this summer like I wanted to because I have been so busy with teaching the biology class at WOSC. But the class is almost over and then I am going to devote a lot more time in the lab.

Bird's Nest

I noticed a bird flying out of my pot when I would go outside to water my plants. I decided to look and there was a nest! It's difficult to make out but there is a baby bird on the left and four eggs on the right. I found the nest at the beginning of summer. Only two eggs hatched. Then the babies grew for a while and looked like they were doing well. I would look into the nest and they would look back at me and had most of their feathers. Then they fell out (or purposely left?) the nest and died on my porch. Hey, I didn't say this was a happy story! Well, it was neat while it lasted.

Birthday Pics

Here are some pics from my birthday. You can see the cake that Valerie made for me. It was so yummy. And you can see Lucas and Paige in the pics with me. They are Tim and Valerie's children. We all had a great time that day.

Skills USA

Brian took four of his students to a Skills USA competetion in May. These students had to take a test to qualify and they competed in the electronics portion against other students from all over Oklahoma. One student placed 4th and the other placed 5th. These students are great, and they all did an excellent job in the competition. Brian is very proud of them.