Lamentations
1. Missing Mango (the cat, not the fruit)
I know I always say I want a pet, but there are moments when it really hits me, mostly when I'm remembering the cat Steph and I shared for a while, Mango. It was just fun having him around. When I got ready in the morning (after Mango played no small part in getting me out of bed), he would follow me as I moved around the room. As I picked out my clothes, he'd jump onto the dresser in the closet. As I put on my make up, he'd jump onto the sink next to me. Every now and then I'd scratch his head or give him a kiss or dangle something in front of his face to bat at. When he sat on the sink I'd leave the faucet on a trickle so he could play with the water. And of course, he got a great big hug and snuggle before I left for work or class. I miss that, very much. It doesn't help that the AKC dog show was on TV last night, and gave me a tantalizing 1 minute display of a gorgeous little boston terrier, the kind of dog I want to own one day. (Almost all the dogs there were number 1 in their breed and were beautiful.)
2.Grad-tastic
First of all, congrats to Ingrid on her first acceptance, with more to come I'm sure! :) I haven't heard much of anything yet, but she submitted her apps much earlier than I did so there's no reason for me to worry - yet, haha. I did hear, however, from the U of New Mexico when my online application accidentally said Psychology and all my other material went to Anthropology and they were confused. That got straightened out, thankfully. However, I then heard from the U of Maryland for the fourth time - the previous three times giving me information I didn't want, because I'm no longer applying there. I decided shortly after I submitted their very bare-bones online application. I told these people every time I'm not applying anymore. Then I get a $60 application bill fee in the mail, and after some emails I'm told that the fee is incurred when the online app is submitted and "cannot be removed from your account." Um, I shouldn't even HAVE an account anymore, you morons. I told you several times already I am NOT APPLYING, so thusly I am NOT PAYING the APPLICATION FEE. I replied to them saying as much, and that they'd better put me in contact with someone who can straighten this out. I haven't heard back from them yet. Feh.
3.Tofu is the Work of the Devil
(I was so tempted to write, Tofu is the Wok of the Devil. hehehe.)
Getting back into science blog reading has it's downsides; one of them is increased exposure to the various forms of idiotic mania exhibited by creationists/IDers and extreme religious conservatives in general. And they make me sad. One blogger wrote about a scathing piece of hate mail condemning the receiver and his daughter to hell (while equating G. Bush with God) - and while the exact cause of this outburst was undetermined, the receiver was the author of a blog on vegan parenting. Oh, those godless vegetarians. *rolls eyes*
Even more depressing to me, however, are the endless examples of IDers seizing legitimate science and twisting it into some grotesque pantomime of science that supports ID - but a pantomime which probably fools a good deal of the innocent public who are unfamiliar with the original concepts. Nor do they refrain from dirty tactics when it comes to spreading this misinformation. A Christian radio show featured a debate between an ID scientist and one of the science blog authors, and the ID scientist got so terribly and pathetically trounced that the radio show gave him a chance at rebuttal - all by himself. The blog author was never even invited, and the radio show didn't accept any calls during the "rebuttal," after which the ID scientist publicly declared his victory in the debate. Um, right. Is it still a victory if your opponent didn't even realize a fight was going on? Apparently so. Examples of this underhanded pattern of behavior never stop coming to light.
I read an entry this morning from the blog of a person who's part of the Beagle Project - a group of students and scientists repeating Darwin's landmark voyage on the HMS Beagle, conducting new research on land and sea on the way. Doesn't that just sound wonderful? I wish I could go. Anyway, the blogger describes how he was talking on the train to someone about the project. This person gets off at one of the stops, and at the stop after that, the author helps an elderly man with parkinsons put on his coat and hat and take hold of his cane. The elderly man had overheard some of the author's previous conversation, and said to him, "Well I'm a creationist and I hope you fail," and left the train without a single syllable of thanks.
*sigh*
4.In Case Grad School Wasn't Scary Enough...
Reading science blogs has inevitably lead me to bits and pieces of advice about graduate studies in the sciences, most of which I'm very interested to read. This morning, however, I read this. It's basically a first person description of the great difficulty of maintaining relationships while seriously pursuing a career in science, and the blunt statement that many of them break apart. I don't want to hear that. I've been nervous enough in that department as it is. Fortunately, John's position isn't the same as mine, and the flexibility of his current job means he'll probably be able to move with me to wherever I go to school. But he won't work at Microsoft forever - he wants to have his own company someday. And it's highly likely I won't be in the States all the time. Sure, the first year or so will be at the school, but then I'll be doing research, with a high probability that I will be doing said research somewhere in Africa. I'm sure that dreading the situation is not a good way to prepare for it, but dread it I do. Every day life with John is one of the things I love best, and I know that there will be times when I'll have to sacrifice that for my career. And - well - dammit, it sucks.