online JOURNAL

9 December 07
Updatelet:

One more week of classes, then finals will be over five days after that. Then Xmas, then we're off to Costa Rica!

I've got so much to do in the next two weeks. Will I get everything done in time? I don't know - I am pretty determined, but I'm also a procrastinator. Stay tuned to find out!

I'm not sure if anything is cuter than seeing a little fur seal pup hiccup. Twice.

Did you know San Francisco seceded from the U.S.? Neither did I. But apparently, we did:

20 November 07
Driving through the Marin Headlands this morning on my way to work I saw a car stopped on the other wide of the road, then I noticed a coyote sitting not far from there. I quickly pulled over and pulled out my camera (I've learned to bring my camera whenever I go out there), and started taking photos. The coyote dashed back and forth across the road, stopping next to and directly in front of my car a couple of times. She was clearly looking for handouts.

After I got to work I discovered that this particular coyote is losing her fear of and becoming habituated to humans. If she continues to act this way, she may have to be euthanized to prevent her from becoming a danger to herself or to others. As of this afternoon there are signs through the Headlands warning people of the situation and asking them to let the coyotes stay wild. Let's hope people pay attention.

Just down the road from our facility is Rodeo Beach, which is currently closed due to a shark sighting on Sunday. Three witnesses (two of whom were in the water on surfboards) saw a shark attack and kill a sea lion. Although the shark was not positively identified, the mode of attack, the time of year, and the general location are all consistent with a white shark. And it *is* currently white shark season here off the San Francisco coast!

Speaking of beach closures, Rodeo Beach is off-limits not only because of the shark sighting, but also as a result of the oil spill. There was a group of bunny-suited workers out there still trying to clean up that mess.

Many people have asked me if we at the Marine Mammal Center have been caring for animals affected by the oil spill earlier this month. We have not (yet) had to rescue any marine mammals as a result of the spill. The majority of marine mammals near the Bay - harbor seals, California sea lions, and the assorted whales and dolphins - all keep themselves warm with a layer of blubber, meaning the animal can still keep warm even with oil on its fur or skin. Additionally, pinnipeds and cetaceans do not preen themselves the way birds do, and as a result, do not ingest the oil. However, exposure to the oil itself may result in long-term complications such as cancer or reproductive disorders, and some of our researchers are attempting to study this.

This, of course, doesn't mean the animals have not been affected; they certainly have. One of my co-workers has been out every day since the spill, observing and assessing animals. She reports that many seals & sea lions have up to 40% of their body covered in oil, but as long as they appear to be otherwise healthy and behaving normally it is considered more traumatic to capture them than it is to leave them be.

17 November 07
Glorious! That's the word that came to mind when I got up this morning, walked into my office, and realized I didn't have any homework to do this morning or any morning for the next TEN DAYS!

Susan and I have scheduled a monthly date with one another to make sure that we have time to spend together and talk and basically attaend to our friendship. We went out last night, and while there was considerably less alcohol and fewer naked girls than the previous time, we still had a wonderful night. We started by having some wine at the Ferry Building, then serendipitously stumbled across a friend singing opera, another friend watching the first, fireworks, the lighting of the Embarcadero Buildings for the holiday season, and a chorus of carolers, then finished up with a delicious dinner.

While at the Ferry Building, waiting for Susan to arrive, I was thirsty and bought a bottle of water. Apparently the Ferry Building water is the "tangiest" in San Francisco. I'm not sure exactly what that means, but maybe it's best if a) I don't ask, and b) I don't buy that water again.

13 November 07
I have been frustrated with school a lot lately. In math we're learning Trigonometry. Sometimes it clicks, and other times I feel like I have only the most tenuous grasp on it. In Biology we've just switched from talking about plant systems to talking about animals, and that's what I love! I was especially looking forward to the second semester of this Bio class, because that's where we start going in depth on animal-related topics.

A week and a half ago was my registration date for next semester's classes. Well, technically this was just a "priority registration" date; open registration for all students isn't for another month. So at my appointed time I logged in, hoping to register for the best section of the next Bio class.

Did I get my preferred time? No! Why, you ask? Because all *six* sections of the class were already full, and we weren't even at the end of the early priority registration, let alone into the regular registration period.

It took me a full year - three semesters - to get into the first Bio class, which I am taking now. Now I'm afraid it will take me another year to get into the second class. I can not take any upper-division biology classes until I get these two lower-division classes under my belt, and as a Bio major, I have at least eight upper-divison courses to take before I graduate.

I consulted with one of my Bio teachers and was told there is a chance I can petition and be added to the class I need, but I won't know if that will happen until after the first week of school. In the meantime, I am F R U S T R A T E D.

12 November 07
Time. There's just not enough time. And add to that I don't often use it wisely; I procrastinate and become distracted too easily.

Light. I love the sunshine. I refuse to think of myself as a "morning person", but I just get so much more done while the sun is shining. And the gloomy days reflect themselves in my mood.

School. I love learning. I need a structured environment for the type of learning I am interested in as I can't do it on my own. But it takes so much time, both on a daily basis and over the years, that I'm not left with enough time to spend on myself and my extracurricular projects.

Right now I'm full of dreams and frustrations and plans and more; more of everything but time.

23 October 07
My day has been full of injuries. It started this morning when I received my first needlestick. I was recapping a needle (which means it had been used :( ) and accidentally stuck my finger. Luckily the animal on which it had been used has no zoonotic diseases, so I should be okay. Still, I bled the injury as best I could, then scrubbed it with Betadine, and bandaged it up.

This afternoon, I was hungry and decided to snack on a Pop-Tart. I threw it into the toaster to warm it, and it stayed in a little too long. After the toaster popped up I grabbed the Pop-Tart, and my thumb touched the hot icing. I yelled and pulled my hand back, but it KEPT BURNING. The molten sugar stuck to my skin and stayed there until I ran my hand under cold water. My thumb is now sore and covered in blisters.

As if that wasn't enough, I sustained more damage at dinnertime when I swallowed something the wrong way. A sharp corner scratched my throat on the way down, and now it hurts to swallow.

I really hope I can make it from here into my bed without further injury.

22 October 07
Wow, I feel like I'm doing so much better right now than I have been for awhile. I usually feel like I'm someone who isn't often affected by stress, but at some point in the last week I realized that I've been pretty stressed out lately; the funny thing is I didn't really notice it until today, once that feeling was gone.

Last Wednesday there was a big fundraising gala for the Marine Mammal Center which I had been involved in organizing. I had some last-minute stuff to do that got done well, and on time. Plus the event raised a good deal of money to help pay for our new facility and ongoing operational costs. (Wow, the new Center is going to be spectacular! And so different than it is now.) We also went to a friend's wedding reception last night, which was very nice, and I had my second Biology midterm this morning, which I believe went well.

But Friday night was the thing that restored my sanity, even if it was at the expense of my liver. Susan and I had plans to go Hyperbowling in the afternoon, but we discovered that the place had closed. So we went to the top of the Marriott for a couple of drinks and to figure out what to do. We had an idea, so we went for a cable car ride through the rain to North Beach, and into another bar for another couple of drinks. From there we went to not one, but two different strip clubs, and yeah, had another couple of drinks. At some point dinner seemed like a good idea so we ate, made plans to meet up with the boys, and we all converged on the DNA, at which point a couple of drinks sounded like a good idea. Not long afterwards sleep sounded like the best idea, and I was home and in bed by 12:30!

I haven't been that drunk in a long, long time, but it was *exactly* what I needed. Well, that and all the sleep I got the following day. Now I'm in a great mood, it's a beautiful, sunny day outside, and I've got half the day to do a bunch of little things I need to do.

Life is good.

8 October 07
I haven't really talked about school since it started up again this semester. And that's probably because things have been just so busy, I haven't had the time.

This is my busiest semester to date. I'm only taking three classes (12 units): Biology, Pre-Calculus, and History of California. However, since the Biology class consists of a lecture and a lab, I'm really taking four classes. I'm in class 16 hours a week and I easily spend another 20 or 30 doing homework. Oof.

I love Biology, of course (it is my major afterall), but I feel like this basic course and its subsequent semester are the "dues" I have to pay before I move on to fun classes like Animal Physiology, Mammology, and Biology of Fishes. They used to offer a class in The Behavior and Physiology of Marine Mammals, which I Really Want to take, but they don't currently have a teacher for it. I need to check with the folks at The Marine Mammal Center to see if anyone there is qualified to and interested in teaching it, as I think it would be fascinating.

My Pre-Calculus class is still covering Algebra stuff. We've taken things just a small step further than we did in the previous class and I find myself wanting to move into new territory, which would be Trigonometry and the very beginnings of Calculus. The class is fine, except for the book we're using. It was written by the Dean of the School of Science and Engineering, and he told all the Pre-Calc teachers they must use it. I have been told by three SFSU teachers and one physicist husband that the book is an exercise in academic masturbation, written to show off the author's knowledge of mathematics. Apparently, it's a great book for those who are already familiar with the subject, and it completely sucks as a learning tool for those who are not. Feh.

Finally, History of California is a wonderful class. As a kid growing up out here, we only learned about the history of the U.S., and even that was white (man)-washed. However, California's history had very little to do with whatever is was that happened on the east coast, and has everything to do with the cultural diversity that remains here today. Why did we never learn this stuff in grade school?

I enjoy school, I really do, but I am still looking forward to my next long break. Less than 2.5 months to go!