When it comes to traveling, visibly pregnant women are treated like princesses.
I was able to pre-board my plane. Then when I mentioned that I was pregnant to the stewardess she: 1) moved us to a comfy exit row 2) gave me extra cookies & peanuts 3) didn't bat an eye when I asked to walk around and use the restroom when the fasten seat belt light was on. When we got to the hotel they tried to get us a room right away, but couldn't. So they held bags for us for free, gave us a map of the French Quarter and pointed us in the direction of Cafe duMonde, then offered to phone us as soon as our room was prepared. When it came time to check in, the desk staff remembered us by name then gave us home-made cookies and free wifi. Once we got settled in, the concierge stopped by with an abundance of pillows, coffee, camomile tea, and creamer. Everyone has put a smile on our faces today.
In other news, we saw a woman playing a steam calliope on a steamboat. Also of note: some of the street performers here are incredibly talented, while others are terrible. New Orleans is a beautiful, wacky place. Culture seeps out of every nook and cranny - along with ferns and moss. Between the announcements in French at the airport, to the wide range of wacky accents and the cash-only culture, it feels like we have stepped into another world. If you want to stay in the US, yet visit someplace quite foreign, New Orleans is the place to be.
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Nerves
This morning I puked for the first time this pregnancy. Puke + diarrhea
+ Braxton-hicks Contractions all morning = I'm kinda freaking out right now.
There is a reason for this. And it's not just that a banana didn't agree with me this morning.
Excited. Trying to take everything in stride.
This week is THE conference. The one that I have been working toward all year. The one where I present my research. The one where I spend all of my waking hours surrounded by space geeks. The one where, after 3 years of service, I finally get to pass on my presidential duties to another student.
My poster is printed, beautifully trimmed, and ready to go.
Life is good. Breathe in, breathe out.
This afternoon I have a doctor's appointment which will confirm I'm fit to travel. I have a childbirth class in the evening. We then have to cart the bunny over to a friend's house who will be watching her for the rest of the week. Sometime in there I need to pack and make sure all of my T's are crossed.
So much to do, such a queezy feeling.
There is a reason for this. And it's not just that a banana didn't agree with me this morning.
Excited. Trying to take everything in stride.
This week is THE conference. The one that I have been working toward all year. The one where I present my research. The one where I spend all of my waking hours surrounded by space geeks. The one where, after 3 years of service, I finally get to pass on my presidential duties to another student.
My poster is printed, beautifully trimmed, and ready to go.
Life is good. Breathe in, breathe out.
This afternoon I have a doctor's appointment which will confirm I'm fit to travel. I have a childbirth class in the evening. We then have to cart the bunny over to a friend's house who will be watching her for the rest of the week. Sometime in there I need to pack and make sure all of my T's are crossed.
So much to do, such a queezy feeling.
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Rabbit Kisses
This morning I'm cuddling Cinnabunny in bed. She has been "purring" (soft teeth grinding) and licking my cheek for the past several minutes. There is nothing quite like sweet bunny breath and a soft warm bunny body to cuddle in the morning.
In other news, Tom tells me I was sleep-laughing last night. I wish I could remember those great dreams! Pregnancy does funny things.
In other news, Tom tells me I was sleep-laughing last night. I wish I could remember those great dreams! Pregnancy does funny things.
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Space & Plants
There are two great intellectual loves in my life, space and plants. They seem an incongruous pair, but somehow they have found common ground in my life.
When I was a little girl I dreamed of traveling to other planets, seeing our giant sun rise over Mercury, surfing through waves of gas on Jupiter, and skiing on frozen Pluto. I clung to every space-based fiction I could find, longing to see the beauty in a planet other than our own.
Even as I entertained such fantasies, I chose to be among plants. Playtime was in the garden, where fresh-off-the-tree peaches were my sustenance and climbing trees were space ships. When it came time to do homework I collected flowers and made arrangements to bring a touch of the garden indoors.
When TNG introduced the character Keiko, I caught a first glimpse of how a person so in love with plants could bring their passion with them to space, as the ship's chief biologist and head of the arboretum. She had a busy and rewarding career which revolved both around space & plants. My fantasies drifted in that direction, and so playtime became more garden-focused. What can do well in this spot, how much should I water this plant vs that one? I grew house plants as well, because surely if I were to grow plants on a spaceship I must first keep them alive in my own home.
With an A+ in junior high science courses, I was on the right track. But a B high school honor's Chemistry destroyed my confidence and took me away from choosing to study science in college. I still played with plants, but I studied languages - French & Spanish, linguistics courses, too. I loved the patterns within language, even then unintentionally viewing it from the perspective of a scientist. Then I took general biology from a botanist named Bruce Smith who saw my interest in plants and let me join in his lab's research with plant metabolism. A switch of degree path to Botany followed by a change to another university - I finished my undergrad with a degree in Genetics & Plant Biology from UC Berkeley in 2008 (though the paperwork finally processed in '09). I had picked the ultimate grad program for merging my two intellectual loves - a PhD program in Botany at Miami of Ohio, where I get to work with Dr. John Kiss and Dr. Richard Edelmann on their spaceflight projects, understanding plant response to light and gravity.
I am delighted to be where I am today: studying plants in space: samples of plants grown on the Shuttle (BRIC-16 project, STS-131 shuttle mission) to investigate in the lab, and my little vegetable/herb garden and orchids at home.
When I was a little girl I dreamed of traveling to other planets, seeing our giant sun rise over Mercury, surfing through waves of gas on Jupiter, and skiing on frozen Pluto. I clung to every space-based fiction I could find, longing to see the beauty in a planet other than our own.
Even as I entertained such fantasies, I chose to be among plants. Playtime was in the garden, where fresh-off-the-tree peaches were my sustenance and climbing trees were space ships. When it came time to do homework I collected flowers and made arrangements to bring a touch of the garden indoors.
When TNG introduced the character Keiko, I caught a first glimpse of how a person so in love with plants could bring their passion with them to space, as the ship's chief biologist and head of the arboretum. She had a busy and rewarding career which revolved both around space & plants. My fantasies drifted in that direction, and so playtime became more garden-focused. What can do well in this spot, how much should I water this plant vs that one? I grew house plants as well, because surely if I were to grow plants on a spaceship I must first keep them alive in my own home.
With an A+ in junior high science courses, I was on the right track. But a B high school honor's Chemistry destroyed my confidence and took me away from choosing to study science in college. I still played with plants, but I studied languages - French & Spanish, linguistics courses, too. I loved the patterns within language, even then unintentionally viewing it from the perspective of a scientist. Then I took general biology from a botanist named Bruce Smith who saw my interest in plants and let me join in his lab's research with plant metabolism. A switch of degree path to Botany followed by a change to another university - I finished my undergrad with a degree in Genetics & Plant Biology from UC Berkeley in 2008 (though the paperwork finally processed in '09). I had picked the ultimate grad program for merging my two intellectual loves - a PhD program in Botany at Miami of Ohio, where I get to work with Dr. John Kiss and Dr. Richard Edelmann on their spaceflight projects, understanding plant response to light and gravity.
I am delighted to be where I am today: studying plants in space: samples of plants grown on the Shuttle (BRIC-16 project, STS-131 shuttle mission) to investigate in the lab, and my little vegetable/herb garden and orchids at home.
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Day 2
Reflections on day 2 of 4 for written exam: Today was a bit like yesterday, 7 questions, 7 hours. I felt like the answers came more easily this time. I wrote out the general gist of each response within the first 2 hours, then spent the rest of my time filling in gaps, polishing, and drawing figures. Everything felt smoother, though I was still quite stressed-feeling. I was even more exhausted today, but less frustrated. I can see now why each PhD student in this program comes out of these exams a changed person.
Day 1
Reflections on day 1 of 4 for written exam: 6 essay questions to complete in 7 hours, it wasn't terrible, but it wasn't any fun either. I could address all aspects of a couple of the questions and most of the others. There wasn't a single question that I knew nothing about, but there were definitely questions that asked for a broader scope than I was prepared to answer. I was completely drained by the end of the day.
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Loving a Houserabbit
Since 2008, my husband and I have been the happy parents of a fluffy and cantankerous houserabbit. Her name is Cinnabunny Pecan Johnson-Sullivan. For short we call her bun-bun and fwuffy. She has written our Christmas letters the past couple of years. The relatives seem to like reading about her take on the year's events.
When there's a rabbit in your life, there's a constant supply of nutrient-rich compost. Our little 5'x5' patch of dirt by our front door went from a mess of dense clay to beautiful soil within a year of adding her mix of cedar chips and little round pellets of waste. She does her business in a litter box, which makes clean-up much easier than cleaning a fall-through cage.
Don't get me wrong, our houserabbit doesn't have quite as much freedom as a housecat. When we're off at work during the day she spends most of her time in a rather large pen. Even when we're home and leave her free to roam, she often wanders back into her pen. Here she has a litter box, has boxes to hide in and hop on top of, phone books to dig, wooden toys to nibble, and piles of hay to consume. Our schedule works well with her natural clock. Since rabbits are generally the most active during early mornings before dawn and evenings after dark, she's a great companion during the time we have to spend with her.
Why do we keep her in a pen? Mainly for her own safety. Each rabbit has their own quirks, but our Bun-Bun chews through live electrical wires when we're not looking - no matter how careful we are about keeping them out of her way, she always seems to find one that we have missed. Then there's her love for chewing on anything fabric-like, including carpet. We keep her away from these things so she doesn't destroy her digestive system with blockages. Under her pen and around the edges of her primary run-around room are pieces of plywood. We set up a bun-proof room so she can run around freely with a little less interaction and supervision.
Rabbits are much quieter than cats and dogs. The only sounds Cinnabunny makes are occasional grunts when I get into her space, quiet clicking "purrs" when petted, a quick thump or two when she expresses her discontent, the shifting of boxes, ruffling of paper, and jingles from the bell I have attached to her collar. I found the bell to be a necessity. When I let her run freely about the house, it's difficult to track her down if she doesn't jingle with every hop.
My favorite part of the mornings are when I walk over to Bun-Bun's pen and she sees me heading her way. She hops on top of a box, stands on her tippie toes, and begs for treats. How can I refuse? Usually I give her some dried fruit, then pick her up and cuddle her. She's wonderful cuddly company while I'm doing homework or watching a movie. I don't understand why more people don't welcome these wonderful creatures into their families. Rabbits seem to be the perfect pets for college students, vegetarians, and gardeners.
When there's a rabbit in your life, there's a constant supply of nutrient-rich compost. Our little 5'x5' patch of dirt by our front door went from a mess of dense clay to beautiful soil within a year of adding her mix of cedar chips and little round pellets of waste. She does her business in a litter box, which makes clean-up much easier than cleaning a fall-through cage.
Don't get me wrong, our houserabbit doesn't have quite as much freedom as a housecat. When we're off at work during the day she spends most of her time in a rather large pen. Even when we're home and leave her free to roam, she often wanders back into her pen. Here she has a litter box, has boxes to hide in and hop on top of, phone books to dig, wooden toys to nibble, and piles of hay to consume. Our schedule works well with her natural clock. Since rabbits are generally the most active during early mornings before dawn and evenings after dark, she's a great companion during the time we have to spend with her.
Why do we keep her in a pen? Mainly for her own safety. Each rabbit has their own quirks, but our Bun-Bun chews through live electrical wires when we're not looking - no matter how careful we are about keeping them out of her way, she always seems to find one that we have missed. Then there's her love for chewing on anything fabric-like, including carpet. We keep her away from these things so she doesn't destroy her digestive system with blockages. Under her pen and around the edges of her primary run-around room are pieces of plywood. We set up a bun-proof room so she can run around freely with a little less interaction and supervision.
Rabbits are much quieter than cats and dogs. The only sounds Cinnabunny makes are occasional grunts when I get into her space, quiet clicking "purrs" when petted, a quick thump or two when she expresses her discontent, the shifting of boxes, ruffling of paper, and jingles from the bell I have attached to her collar. I found the bell to be a necessity. When I let her run freely about the house, it's difficult to track her down if she doesn't jingle with every hop.
My favorite part of the mornings are when I walk over to Bun-Bun's pen and she sees me heading her way. She hops on top of a box, stands on her tippie toes, and begs for treats. How can I refuse? Usually I give her some dried fruit, then pick her up and cuddle her. She's wonderful cuddly company while I'm doing homework or watching a movie. I don't understand why more people don't welcome these wonderful creatures into their families. Rabbits seem to be the perfect pets for college students, vegetarians, and gardeners.
Friday, February 17, 2012
What is a Plant?
Photosynthesis is the process by which plants harvest solar energy and, by way of a complex biochemical process, convert it to biomatter. We then use this biomatter as food. Plants are primary producers. Without plants, human life wouldn't be possible.
I visited an inner-city junior high recently, where (among other things) I attempted to explain the important role that plants play in our lives. I mentioned the fact that the majority of our food is derived from plants, whether from animals that consume plants, or from the plants themselves. Several of these kids were thoroughly confused. They said "But who eats plants? That's just crazy." They didn't understand that bread was made from grain, that grain is a seed of a plant. They had no concept that broccoli was a plant, that fruits like apples grew on trees. Then there was the issue of meat - these kids didn't see the link. I asked them where beef came from. Some of them knew that it came from steer (some said cows). I then asked them what the animals ate. They answered "Grass!" But they had no clue that grass was a plant.
It made me think - what is a plant? What is the definition of a plant in common culture? Are these kids' parents just as confused about the origins of their food? And how was something this basic left out of their education?
I visited an inner-city junior high recently, where (among other things) I attempted to explain the important role that plants play in our lives. I mentioned the fact that the majority of our food is derived from plants, whether from animals that consume plants, or from the plants themselves. Several of these kids were thoroughly confused. They said "But who eats plants? That's just crazy." They didn't understand that bread was made from grain, that grain is a seed of a plant. They had no concept that broccoli was a plant, that fruits like apples grew on trees. Then there was the issue of meat - these kids didn't see the link. I asked them where beef came from. Some of them knew that it came from steer (some said cows). I then asked them what the animals ate. They answered "Grass!" But they had no clue that grass was a plant.
It made me think - what is a plant? What is the definition of a plant in common culture? Are these kids' parents just as confused about the origins of their food? And how was something this basic left out of their education?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)