Summer......

T-minus ~24 hours until grades are posted. I'm still waiting to see how that physics grade is going to turn out. I'm a bit disheartened, as I really enjoyed the class, but some of the problems on the exams were quite trying. It's not my strong point, but I really dig the subject matter. Some people learn physics quickly, almost naturally...for some people like me, it's not so innate.

In other news, I was quite pleased to read this little nugget circulating the science sites:
http://www.physorg.com/news98027352.html
Bacteria found in tar pits. Brilliant! I'm very curious about the metabolic pathways these guys would have....what kind of enzymes and what-not. This is exactly the kind of stuff that makes me excited for environmental microbiology. It is that essential, there's hope, kinda thought that floats through my mind concerning all the ways we've messed up the blue marble we live on.

Gah, I must get out of the house. It's a breezy 80+ degree day out there, and the woman who owns the house has turned on the A/C already. Supposedly, if I close the vent it will keep the air from chilling out my particular room, but the vent does not provide for that much adequate blocking. I really detest air conditioning. I hate the way it feels on my skin. Summer should feel WARM...if I want goose bumps I'll go back to winter. To her credit, the woman has severe asthma, and I imagine the humid air is quite taxing on her. I just wish there was a way to block the A/C from invading my happy warm/humid room.

Sometimes ya gotta wonder...

So in my usual reading around the 'net, I came across this article on NewScientist:
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn11833-the-face-not-the-body-attracts-a-mate.html

What gets me is this note on the "research,"
Twelve women and 12 men took part in a trial to assess the attractiveness of people in photographs, on a scale of 1 to 7.

The journal cited was Animal Behaviour, DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2006.07.012. I tried looking up the article via the university's library, but for whatever reason it's not showing up in the table of contents, and quite frankly I'm too tired to pursue it further.

But all I can think is: Wow.....that's some test group you got there. 24 people. And this is published in a journal? It doesn't surprise me that it's referenced for mass media science appeal...but that's a whole other story there. I suppose my Physics lab professor would laugh at me if she heard my internal response:

12 men and 12 women...just *how* reliable is that R² value?

I digress....


There's a culmination of thoughts that have been bubbling through various articles I've read regarding how fat America has become, but that diatribe is going to require more brain power than what's firing off at the moment. Thank god school is over, for now.

Don't mind the brain-fry

I'm over the crest of finals week already. The results are foggy. That's ok with me. I'm a little annoyed that my luck drew me two finals first thing on Monday, but it's behind me now. Nothing else to do.

The weekend provided a mulling of thoughts while I studied, like I had a a quiet and understanding monkey lingering on my shoulder. I suppose it popped up in conversation late Wednesday night....a discussion over the endless uphill battle some of my peers and I face with the decline of the American Dream. I'm not surprised that my generation has an extended adolescence anymore than I'm not surprised that 40 is the new 30, and so on.... Yet some of us are trying to figure out where we fit the ideal our parents have provided into the reality that is our current state of financial debt and educational short-comings.

At my current age, my mother had given birth to my sister and myself quite a few years ago. My family had a nice house, a stable environment, and my parents had all the planning to assure my sister and I would be raised comfortably. I look at my situation now, and it's not too reassuring.

After wandering the proverbial desert of the early 20s and figuring out what I wanted to *do* with life, I can honestly say I know what I enjoy doing. It was a long and lengthy process of elimination...and perhaps it was staring me in the face for a while, but I can honestly say that I enjoy learning what I do. I enjoy the process, and I like working in a lab. When I first decided on this path, I clearly envisioned moving straight through to grad school. I clearly envisioned going straight through for my PhD.

And yet, I see friends who have married, friends who have bought houses, and one or two who have already had babies. I think about the student loan debt that I have accrued (which thankfully isn't monstrous, but it is getting up there), and the room I rent out and will need to continue renting out because of my financial state. If I continue on the straight path for my PhD, even with stipend, I'm looking at a life of rented rooms and more debt clear until my mid-to-late 30s.

For some that is fine. I can honestly think of some of my friends or family that would be ok with that. But I think about the non-work/non-career side of things that make me happy...the environment, the *quality* of life of the day-to-day, and I can honestly say that my current surroundings are at the polar opposite of what I enjoy. Do I want the distinction of PhD? Yes. Will it grant me a better salary? Maybe. When? Not for a long-ass time... How long can you hold out in this state? Not too sure....but if the past several months were any indication, then perhaps I might think about new jackets....preferrably with long sleeves.

The reality is that what I envision in my naïvety may not translate well in real life. That said, I was also thinking of the luck I'd had falling into the particular lab I work in. What started out with a particular interest in proteins, has now added the bizarro world of microbiology...in particular industrial microbiology, and perhaps, its applications in the environment. I'm not into pathogenic microbiology - I joke that I don't care much for humans, and I certainly wouldn't want to deal with pathogens. Yet there's something about geological microbiology that interests me, especially if one considers the global environmental state. My curiosity leads me to wonder if perhaps the answers to our problems might reside in the very organisms that continue to make life possible to begin with. I'm looking forward to some time off from classes, to maybe read up further on some ideas brewing in my head. It stems from a naïve perspective, as I still have a ton to learn, but it doesn't hurt to have some random ideas.

Oh, yes, that was tangent land, wasn't it?

Well, to round all of that back....if perhaps if I can't make the PhD magically happen without going insane from the lack of a nuturing and satisfying external environment, then there is a chance I can find a company to work for. Maybe said company would even throw down on a Masters degree. I know many people go that route. If the quality of life holds well....if life is worth living and living well, then acquiring a PhD at age 60 may not be so bad.

I realize I want my day-to-day worthwhile...because if I tell myself that I'll just suffer for x amount of years and *then* I'll get to enjoy life....I could find myself regretting a lot.

Where to begin?

During the course of my day/week/whatever, occasionally I’ll find something that I find completely fascinating (even if it is mundane to some, it’s better to live with child-like eyes I suppose), but I am hestitant to share it with my usual audience of friends. It’s not that they aren’t intelligent, they just don’t find the same things interesting. More to the point, I’m posing my thoughts to the wrong audience.

Instead, I thought I’d throw my thoughts into the blog arena. It seemed a natural course of action considering I have a ridiculous list of science blogs that I check out on a regular basis. Rather than play the passive reader, I’d rather engage, share my comments, and see if people have comments for my thoughts. (So if you happen across here and see your blog listed, "Hi! I'm a fan!")

While I'm not a traditional student (read: not early 20s), as an undergrad I’m going to have biases. I’m going to be completely misinformed. I’m not going to have the big picture. By throwing my ideas out there, someone who might know more than me is bound to say, “Cripes she's an idiot!” and then correct me. And I gain something from that. Conversely, as I’m not yet elbow deep in the post-grad academia rat-race, I might have a different perspective to a situation.

One tidbit of news that I’m surprised hadn’t pinged off of any of the blogs I read was this little nugget from nytimes.com:

Scientists Look to Vaccines in the War on E. Coli

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/01/health/01coli.html?_r=1&ref=science&oref=slogin

The article discusses giving cows a vaccination or antibiotic to reduce the amount of E. coli, to prevent contamination of water used to keep crops of food growing. Is anyone hearing a giant bell? Seeing a red flag? Two words: Antibiotic Resistance. We risk creating super-microbes resistant to anything we can fling at them, instead of addressing what is, essentially, a sanitation issue.

While I was on my run this evening, a commercial for some antibacterial product flashed by on a tv screen. The media has the whole culture scared silly over bacteria that they’re disinfecting our way to mutated microbes that will make the 1918 Influenza Virus look like a bedtime story. Ok, maybe that’s exacerbating a little, but seriously…consider it.

Most people don’t realize they NEED microorganisms to digest their food or keep their skin hydrated properly. I also thought that these paradigm shifts need to be introduced early – just like global ecology and preservation need to be emphasized and embraced early. The kids need to find interest in this. They need to be exposed to it, and they need to find fascination with it. Because it is fascinating, and we need to know this stuff earlier…not in college, to utilize this information properly.

I think back about Steve Irwin’s death – and everyone had the same thought, “dumb shit deserved it.”

But would you take a step back and realize how enthusiastic he was about educating people to the diverse, weird, and fascinating life we have on this planet? One thing I appreciate and enjoy the most is enthusiastic teachers. Their passion and child-like fascination becomes infectious, and I’ll take that over any monotone PhD who is miffed they’re teaching a lower level class for their tenure. Ok, tangent aside….I realized that there’s got to be a way to get kids interested in this. I’m still rolling the putty over in my brain, but eventually something might take form and grow.

Maybe I’ll finally utilize my zest for stand-up comedy after all. I'll just have to clean up my language for the kiddies...