notes to self

When sluffing work remember sunscreen. When at beach wear hat and sunscreen. Take camera in case of dolphins. Take iPhone charger everywhere. Focus on strengths and build upon weaknesses. Past may be prologue and perception is reality but who percieves your past is your business. And lastly proofread everything.

thanks for the roomies

perhaps it is a bit unfair of me to compare apples and oranges. I am very glad for all of my roomies this summer. If it weren't for vanillabasil I wouldn't have found my way in solomons or how to love the iPhone and blogging with such passion. If it weren't for southern belle I wouldn't know who to wave at, where to buy wine, or how to drive in Cambridge, or that life is best served with a smile on the porch and revenge is best served cold. If it weren't for K from Colorado I wouldnt have learned the cool lesson plans and remember the mountains. If it weren't for storm I wouldn't know how to get pics from camera, be glad for the arctic tundra, and compare photos of niagara, lily pads, and the second yummiest spaghetti in the world. If it weren't for lab roomies I wouldn't have songs to laugh about or teacher roomies to share coffee and chocolate but not at the same time mrs. B. AND if it weren't for main house roomie, I wouldn't be laughing instead of crying most of the time. M S "just wants u to be happy". Dont worry its on the list.

past is prologue

How terrible am I? Second time in 345ish days I've been told this on the phone by people who lived with me (for a few hours a week anyway) "It has not just been recently, I've felt this way for a long time, you were like this before, even before (fill in blank with summerish things like fellowships and rings) I can't live like this. I was talking to soandso who says you need to do thisandthat... You should have known without me telling you. You need to get your life together. What will the neighbors think?"

So. Sans the cheese knife toss but still about animals and their dung. Perhaps I'm growing. How terrible am I? Feeling very very so.

Mondays

Do we celebrate birthdays of those that are dead to us?

Team iron horse watched the sunrise this weeknd. Nap time needed again. Met roomie and his brother in town from Atlanta at the neighborhood bar. Also talked for awhile with a woman in the bathroom named gigi and I don't know what shocked me most, her toothless smile, the actual sound of her hitting her wooden leg with her cane or her offer of a Xanax which I kindly refused.

Heron Haiku

Herons are awkward
flap wings oddly when landing
speak with a loud bark
.
Dinner and walk with friends from lab

New Friends New Puddles

I have made a new friend from Baltimore by way of Tanzania. I will call him Cest Bon.
We have watched a few movies together at the Marsh House, and then we went to town Monday to get a bite at the restaurant by the river. They have a crabcake club that is out of this world. Cest Bon goes on safaris every other year to the ngoro ngoro (sp?) crater.

I met my new roomate from Baltimore by way of the Philappines. I will call her Stormy because of her first night in Marsh House.


Stormy and I went to the Evil Mart to get a flashlight for my experiment and a bandaid for her thumb she slammed in the car door. (ouch). Then we went to the grocery store to get supplies for dinner. We decided to grill. I have never lit a charcoal grill by myself. (Actually I still haven't officially because Stormy had to come help my after I lit 2 entire packs of matches before being successful.) I grilled ribeye's and asparagus as the skies darkened rapidly. Stormy made a shrimp, onion and broccoli masterpiece meanwhile helping me light grill and marinate steaks. The rain started as I pulled off the steaks, the asparagus got some rain on them. Then we saw hail, then much lightning and thunder, then loud roll across the roof from large branch, then much much much rain. It was a great storm. Then, her horn in her honda started honking and upon investigation her window had been left down and her car was flooded. The horn would stop if you pressed it again, but then start up again whenever it felt like it. Stormy and I unplugged her battery (thanks to her emergency tool kit) and then soaking wet finished our delicious dinner, watched TV, and ate popcorn.

When I woke up this morning after sleeping (thanks xanax) I got in my car and noticed MY window had been down as well. Water Everywhere!!!

insomnia

who sleeps from 9-12? Who can't fall back asleep? I watched 3 episodes of homicide, now dont have any left. I counted zanichellia leaves to fall asleep but I should just wait til tomorrow in the lab. I worried that my graduated cylinders started floating and spilled ok the flume generator in the main lab. I can't figure out how to get the seeds from the bottom without destroying my set up. I am wondering why I bought all the stuff for tacos but not tortillas. I think I missed my dentist appoi tment this week, now my tooth hurts. There is a strange bug talking up a storm out the window, my stomach is talking too, perhaps I'll have more Ginger ale. Maybe I'll finish my book. That will make me sleepy, reading, I really should do more of that instead of TV. Perhaps otterbutt shouldn't have reminded me about lecturing I. Your sleep because now I'm behind on that too. Ha ha. I should have known about husband 2 because he never drank milk at my house but drank a gallon the first time I met his parents. I can still see his face when he came home that morning for his socks. He really had anger inside. Now am pretty sure I'm dead inside and shouldn't I be getting over this? His parents were weird and phony, who are they? Walmart shoppers? I should talk I spent an hour there for two days in a row! I should have said something else on the phne last night (tonight?), I talked to many people but didnt say what I wanted to, like "sorry I stole both lighters" "I have always gotten you, but I could never get you to do anything" and "I need the job even though I dont want it"

Best Maryland Day Ever Hon

I will have to explain this day in 3hour incriments.

9-12 am lunch and swimming on Assateague with me, my towel, water bottle and book. Sea sun sand and solitude was delicious. I was scared of the rip tide so I swam only a little.
Assateague Horses

12-3 drove to Parkville. Most expensive 3 hr part of day.
Gas Prices

3-4 nap with cats and shower without cats.

4-7 art scape
"the sweltering horde
clings to beers and scraps of shade
for the art of it"
Written by Captain Hops

with team iron horse
Saw the gays
and the other gays
it was hot and the art was minimal.
I liked the tree stumps and the pottery best.




7-11 team iron horse went to the Orioles vs. Tigers game whcih was tied 10-10 in the 10th inning with a beautiful home run by Luke Scott. It was the most fun filled Maryland Day of all time. I hope I dont run out of gas driving home. AND I'm blogging from the light rail.

Sunrise Sunset

I feel that 100% participation for the AP exam is silly. I will try to make my students understand this is part of the course, perhaps they will try harder...

Measuring Zanichellia morphology and biomass is silly.
Watching germinated seedlings float and sink is silly.

Taking pictures of the sunrise and sunset from Marsh house is not.

Divine Secrets of Teacher Hood

I forgot to blog about TNT's party for Big Daddy's 60th. It was so fun to see everyone from the old OMHS crew that formed as the coolest science dept around and now, now we have ALL moved on to become dept. chair(s), country clubbers, retirees, navy doctors & navy wives, married toe ring wearers, or happy healthy tan earth science roomies... I'm so glad we have all remainded so close and actually, become even closer. The party was fun, I made mushrooms and big Costco trip of food items, spilled red wine on the white table cloth (promptly washed by big daddy and then respilled upon by said big one), got mooned by the Old Man Beefus, coordinated switzerland boundaries (with one major slip up) and got to sleep in my princess bed (that came with presents, thanks Monroe)...

I went with navy wife to the Great Falls and had a wonderful brunch made by navy doctor. Then we went to dogfish brewery for the best sandwich. There is now a tie for the crabcake club and that is the Mahi mahi club with avocado and bacon. So yummy! Navy wife and I used to hike together weekly and we have a great time talking and walking and laughing at the east coast. Maryland being so small compared to TX and UT. Then I came home and watched "Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood" (yes I cried) and then talked with Southern Belle about the trials and troubles of teaching AP Environmental Science. They eased my mind about being the worst teacher in the world (remember our first years everyone we all struggled) and I wrote an email to principal and dc to be proactive on Maestra's advice.

Probably should go do some research now, talked with the other Teacher research fellows this morning on an internet video conference which was interesting. Perhaps, Otterbutt, we may one day teach entirely from our porches!

P.S. Happy Bday to the Kindergarten Teacher (who actually made her first year look like she's been doing it forever!) wish I could be at your BBQ tonight.

glory

Assateague island is a sandbar below ocean city that has wild horses running free on it. It was the most beautiful place I've ever been in Maryland. Of course it was East Coast crowded, but when you looked East all you could see was the sea. Sun swimming and laughter all day followed by an excellent ice cream cone, fantastic talk with Maestra, "val" college spaghetti, Shiraz, and movies "glory " and "perfect storm". I may reschedule my entire week and go back to the island on Saturday. I went with some wonderful ladies from the lab who will be known as Pale Ale, Banana, and Geologist; I haven't laughed so hard in awhile and I haven't been in the ocean since the Galapagos because I dont thing I got in the ocean in St. Johns.

test scores

Well. My students did not do well on their AP exam. 14 passed - 17 did not. AND my boss man bing emailed the scores to everyone! Humiliated. Guess I could find a more suitable career like middle school or research scientist. Turns out they have happy hours too. I measured and counted Zanichellia morphology most of yesterday so happy hour was necessary. UGH test scores

Dear Prudence

My attitude has changed. I know what to do. And I really think two things changed my 'tude of late. I was without my computer, and I had never eaten dinner at a restaurant by myself. Now that both of those things are fixed (and I got to eat Mussels)... love songs are now song to myself, Uncle Walt's Poem "Song of Myself" replays in my head, I have found "self" and will take this opportunity to tweak myself into the person I want to be. First and foremost, proudly standing firm against the wind with roots instead of floating like a feather.

Coming up this week...Assateague Island, kayaking, boating, scrabble tournament, Orioles Tigers game, Artscape.

The iPhone has also changed, perhaps in tune with Apples "new" iPhone debut tomorrow... iPhone says its saga/drama was imaginary and it is over.

Like sediment through the hourglass

I've been weighing and cooking bay sediment in what is called a Muffle Furnace to determine the percent of organic sediment in the samples from Cape Charles. Not to mention having dinner on Charles Street across from the Charles Theatre. It's very very quiet down here, prompting a text from BIG in Japan that said "Are you hunting with Elmer Fudd" ha ha ha. "It was on 7/27 in 1940 that Warner Brothers released A Wild Hare, the first cartoon starring Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd. The first lines of each character have become timeless..."

Elmer Fudd: Be vewy, vewy quiet, I'm hunting wabbits.
Bugs Bunny: Eh, what's up Doc?

Forgot to commemorate my 100th post

This is good. Saw it in the times today. Matt

MIKE your phone is at berthas

Roomie lost phone must send smoke signals (he has no email...who would answer the house phone?) I am watching Canadian geese lounge around the sturgeon pond this morning. Loved destination wedding 3 post by little hands. Went to dinner after drinks on the porch with southern belle and southern beau from Tennessee/Georgia last night. Finally got some mussels and they were great sitting by the drawbridge on Cambridge Creek. Came home, slept well, dream filled. Will visit Black water wildlife refuge and Assateague island, the place with the wild horses...yeah try to drag me away.
Recommended Listening...
The Entire Album "Raising Sand" Robert Plant and Allison Krauss (a little slow all at once one at a time perhaps with the below songs interspersed),
"Gone Gone Gone" "Please Read the Letter" "Let your loss be your lesson" "your long journey" "Trampled Rose" "Fortune Teller" "Killing the Blues (Ubiquitous heartbreaks... it happens)
"Weather Report Suite" Grateful Dead
"Stormy Monday" Allman Brothers TBone Walker
"Red Hill Mining Town" U2
"Thorn in my Pride" Black Crows Old Album
"Can you stand me" (1)Black Crows New Album
"Come Pick Me Up" Ryan Adams
"Sheen" The Low Life
"Home" Alexi Murdoch
"I Guess You’re Right" The Posies
"Go it alone" Beck
"Float On" Modest Mouse
"

No Mussels, No Muscles

Lovely afternoon in Fells Point. Listened to some excellent blues music at the Cats Eye and then headed to Bertha's for, No Mussels! So forced to have crab cake sandwich and roomie and I shared the Escargot, delicious! Also, I have lost ability to do 10 pushups that Lt. Green Hornet asked me to do before a smoke, that was a muscle bound plan, will resume. Lovely lovely day at the Point. Also watched a movie about the Wetlands Preserve in NYC, cool jam band venue in tribeca in the 90s. Very cool, many bands were the ones I saw in the 90s, and yes, it means they make nostalgia movies about my oldness. And last bit, announcement... I had to cancel premium channels today on cable. No more HBO.

It's Not A Date!

This is a little story about way too much wine. Roomie and I went to Zodiac for dinner, unfortunately, again, overcooked fish in the city by the bay. Maybe they think everything from the sea has a hard shell outside that has to be cooked forever with Old Bay. I had the salmon, he had the halibut, and we sat and watched the people on Charles Street pass by and go to the Charles Theatre. Lovely time, except the Hess oil spill with 5 cop cars and 2 fire engines. Then we went to the neighborhood bar for a drink, and then I invited us over to The Family Porch just in time to see some fireworks and kids whose hair has grown and their legs have as well. I can't believe Leo and Kapricorn are 8 & 7!!!! Awoken by roomie who served me watermelon in bed to cure my hangover and trying to find my motivation to go kayaking.

Good luck to Otterbutt and family on their move to the desert mountain town, and to Little Hands for her travels from the state of wine wedding of champions.

Things I Missed and Didn't Plan On Missing

First of all, I missed Fourth of July. Slept right through it from 2-8, then felt disloyal to pajamas to change to go out for the fireworks. However, this may seem a tad on the lame side, I haven't been home on a Friday night in three weeks. Enjoyed lunch of roomie's spaghetti aka Gonad stew served to me with two meatballs, one sausage and a sprinkle of parmasen cheese in a funny location *note not adding picture here. Things I missed about my house during my travels that I didn't notice until I got back... my blue coffee cup, the tiny cat Han laying on my hip, my fancy gold sheets, the back porch, my computer (sorry iPhone).

Peanut Butter Jellyfish Time

On the Choptank River the research team collected samples of Zanichellia and sediment with snorkels while I wrote down the water depth and plant height in the boat. Saw many many many jellyfish so I didn't swim. Many many many jellies. And herons and fish and turtles. Collected Heron Feather and Big Oyster Shell. We took the boat to a little cove at low tide and measured the current with a cool probe. Had to wait until high tide for six hours so we got to lay in the sun on the boat. Then drove west with the windows down at dusk listening to my new collection of songs. Glad I came home because roomie and I had wine and I swear the best 33pizza of all time and we sat on the porch for a lovely evening.

Also I may have to change my blog name to "Feetbook"

Sweet potato queen and sweet potamogeton perfoliatus queen

According to my new southern belle roomate at the Marsh House, you need 5 men in your life. You are very lucky if the 5 roles are filled by the same man, or they can all be different men but only 4 can be gay. Chuckle. One to talk to, one to laugh with, one to dance with, one to fix things, and one to ... A woman claims the title of Sweet Potato Queen if she has them all.

Research group and I went to sushi. I had a dynamite roll and saki. It was fun. I was late, but that's ok down here people arrive at what the southern belle calls "ish time" and so do I now (hopefully this trait doesn't stick around because I hate lateness, for example am glad certain things are monthly-ish).

Potamogeton perfoliatus is a seagrass called Redhead that I will be researching as well as 4 others... You say potato, I say Potamogeton. So if you have 5 seagrasses in your life you must be...

UMCES ESEP CTRF HPL

University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science
Enviornmental Science Education Partnership
Chesapeake Teacher Research Fellowship
Horn Point Lab

WHEW! Now I know where I am and my names we're all set for the experiment.
Website
Research Question:
Do submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) native to the Chesapeake Bay have a Phase II (secondary) dispersal mechanism after germination that is caused by light quality or light duration that influences seed buoyancy due to photosynthetic gas production in the laccuna?

Hypothesis:
If we expose germinated seeds (9 days) to full strength sunlight (1800 µmol photons m-2 sec-1) then the seeds will become buoyant allowing for a secondary dispersal method to colonize another environment. The null hypothesis is seed buoyancy will not be influenced by light.