Fun with Voice Memos: Squirrel Talk

With my amazing cell phone, I can record "voice memos" - and the fun that ensues with this feature is endless.

Today, while both working on my Comps paper and watching the Penn State game, I heard the most amazing noise coming from outside my sliding glass door. I creeped around the corner so quietly (I thought it was a bird, and I didn't want to scare it) to see the most squirrely of squirrels sitting on one of the branches of the tree nearest to our building. For about 45 seconds, I listened and watched as the squirrel continued its chirping. And then (Eureka!), I remembered that I could record the sound! I've heard many squirrels making this sound before, but usually they are chasing each other up and down and around the trees while making the sound. Today, though, this one squirrel just sat on a branch and chirped...so with the magic of my phone and iMovie (and some luck in that the squirrel didn't run away)...

I bring you: Squirrel Talk (Turn the volume up!)

Note: I know my editing skills and photography are poor (to say the least haha), I will improve them both for future movies. Enjoy!

PS-If you listen closely, you can hear another squirrel chirping in the distance somewhere...long lost squirrel friends? I think so :)

Lonely Bananas

I have a soft spot for the bananas at the grocery that have been yanked from their cluster mates (and now they sit in a pile with all the other lonely bananas) so that people can get the "perfect" cluster amount of bananas. I see it all the time, but why does it happen? who knows...

Are the lonely bananas worse tasting than the clustered ones? doubt it.

Is it really too much for someone to take home 5 bananas rather than 4? apparently!

If so, why not pick 4 lonely bananas and leave the clusters for someone else who will take the lot?

Check out the lonesome bananas when you go grocery shopping next - you will likely see 20-30 of them in a pile just waiting to be gobbled up while their cluster mates leave. I feel like I could make up a cartoon/story about this (I'm suddenly feeling very passionate about the lonely bananas), and I'm starting to giggle about the thought of it (am picturing the lonely bananas commiserating together while the teams/clusters of bananas have a party). heehee

Note: I'm actually slightly allergic to bananas (I really can't eat them without some kind of throat itching/swelling)...but they are so good, right?

(Positively) Freaking Out

About 3 weeks ago, it was decided that I was ready for my Comprehensive Exam.

...3 weeks later (today!), I'm starting to freak out (!) because I haven't accomplished anything really, yet I have SO much to do. I thought I was ready for this exam, but I'm feeling anything but ready - I feel doomed! I can feel the doom and gloom mounting on me as I write this (forget the dreams I've already had about this exam!).

To show you how chaotic I am currently, here is a photo of my desk today - actually to clarify, here is a photo of my desk plus the neighboring desk that I've commandeered within the past week:

Eeeeeek...it's wild!

But even with the "doom and gloom" feeling, I'm going to think more positively for there are others in the World who are more legitimately in need of positive vibes and prayers. I don't mean to get heavy, but take note: 1) A family (and our campus) is currently mourning the loss of their son, a freshman student, and 2) A family is dealing with health issues after already overcoming so much. I've never met either family, yet I feel very emotionally affected by their stories. And, I feel silly for being so concerned about my Comps Exam. Deep down I know everything will be OK regarding my exam - whether I pass it now or later. And, I think it's OK that I'm worried about passing it - I just need to put this part of my life into perspective by making sure it maintains its proper (and theoretical) place in "my life hierarchy" (I don't really have a diagram of this mapped out, btw).

So...wish me many productive mornings, days, and nights preparing for my exam! It should be a doozy.

Puppies!

Since it's been soooooooo long since I posted, I thought posting some pics of puppies would be good. These schnoodles (poodle+schnauzer mixes) were listed on statecollege.com's website recently:

There's more of a story about these pups, but first I have a confession - I often look for dogs to adopt. Seriously, any downtime I have between runs at the lab or while I'm eating lunch, I'm looking at dogs (while still looking at Etsy, no shame). But I always check Petfinder.com. First, I search for "poodle" and then I search for "schnauzer" (all within our local zip code). If I'm really feeling wild, though, I'll search zip codes in Ohio. After all, Petfinder.com is where I found Grady (he was originally named Stone) whom we named after Grady Sizemore of the Cleveland Indians. We didn't know much about Grady/Stone before we got him - we just knew where he was located and what he looked like (see his pic below!):

Before we got Grady, I had been searching Petfinder.com for months and months to find a dog. I filled out many applications naming friends and vets as references, but most places wanted owners to have some experience with dogs since the rescue dogs may have some "issues" (I had never fully been responsible for a dog, while Hubby has but it was a few years ago). I do understand this, but it was sad for me because I really wanted to help a dog! It was also difficult for me to find a dog because I'm very allergic to dogs that shed, so I really needed one that did not shed much (even though I'm sooooo in love with Rottweilers). I grew up with a poodle named Lady who was the prettiest lady ever (see pic of me and Lady below!), so I knew I could handle poodles (and likely a poodle mix).

When I saw Grady/Stone online (listed as a poodle possibly mixed with schnauzer), I called about him immediately and the woman on the phone was very friendly. She told me that Stone was "very manly" (haha), and a great dog. We talked for a few minutes more and then we decided that I was going to come pick up Grady/Stone that week! Hubby and I drove out to New Philadelphia, Ohio, to get him (kinda close to where Hubby grew up in Kent, Ohio) - That was nearly two years ago (we got him in October 2007), and I know we really got lucky with him. He had some issues with worms for a few months when we first got him, but he kicked that eventually and has been "clean" ever since. I'm not sure why anyone would ever give him up, but I'm very thankful that we get to raise him as our little guy. Because I can't resist, here are some pics of our boy:

Grady's comforting me during my recovery.

Grady's working hard.

So...back to the 4 puppies above! Where we live, there is another schnoodle named Socrates (the owners call him Socks for short, and Hubby calls him Grady's "philosopher friend" heehee). Socks and Grady are great friends! Socks is originally from Maryland where he was found wandering the streets (He had mange and was unable to do his business easily b/c he was so dirty and uncared for - poor guy!). We usually get together on Sundays outside to let the dogs romp around for a bit...I have to get it on video because it's so cute. Socks' owners love Grady (they call him Big G heehee), and they are always telling us about how they are searching for another schnoodle to adopt.

To make an unnecessarily long story short - They are actually who told me about the schnoodles on statecollege.com - so I had to check them out online! Of course, Hubby and I loved them instantly. But, we know our time currently is very limited (and we still want to rescue a more needy dog), so instead I showed other people close to us in hopes that they would want one! After pining over them for a week, I showed the ad to a friend and she was smitten, too! On Friday, we made a visit to the pups and now she is going to get one! I can't reveal who the new owner is yet, but I will post a sneaky picture of them together (and maybe you can guess). :)

New owner and new schnoodle!

I hope you enjoyed the puppies, and I hope you get a dog!! :) They are the greatest companions and friends.

I'm in Media, PA!

I have a good friend from Media, PA, and I sent him a text upon arriving here saying "I'm in Media!"...his response was "haha why?".

I'm in Media, PA, at the Penn State Brandywine campus attending a workshop as part of my TESSE Fellowship responsibilities (FYI: TESSE stands for Transforming Earth System Science Education). Essentially, I serve as a content expert (along with two other grad students) on earth and space science to a suite of teachers from primarily Pennsylvania (there are also a handful of teachers from Delaware, Kentucky, Michigan, and North Carolina).

Like most things involving grad students, this fellowship is made possible through a 3-year grant (this is the final year of the grant). I was lucky to be involved with this program last school year, and I feel even more lucky to be involved with this program again this school year. The workshop itself is geared toward current and budding Earth Science teachers who are interested in enhancing/refining/developing/etc. their content knowledge and teaching practices/methods/techniques involving earth sciences. Several topics relating to earth sciences are covered during this workshop, and there are also wonderful exercises that we go through as an entire group to demonstrate some of the activities that can be implemented in their classrooms.

Some quick reminiscing of my childhood: Once upon a time, I was going to be a geologist. I had chosen this occupation when I was in 5th grade based on my love of collecting rocks. Not similarly (and more of a side note), I also loved to stand in my backyard with an umbrella while it was raining and give fake weather reports to the trees. I digress. I have loved the Earth from an early age, which carried over to my undergraduate years when I was an Earth Sciences major. So even though my current work is in energy, I still have a very strong love/interest/passion for the Earth Sciences.

While I do not consider myself an expert of Earth Sciences, I do consider myself as a great resource for the participating teachers due to my different research experiences in Earth Sciences and Energy. At some point this week, I will be paired up with a handful of the teachers and we will continue interacting throughout the school year. I had a great experience with the teachers I was paired with last year, and I am hopeful about the teachers in this group - they are a lot of fun already.

I have much more to say about the TESSE program and workshop, but I will save those for later posts as I can tell I'm beginning to ramble. BUT! I will quickly say that being around the teachers really makes me appreciate the work/desire that goes into teaching. They also have wonderful stories - both amusing and heartbreaking - about their experiences...but, you can tell that they really care about their students AND they really care about doing a good job. I love that! I am excited about the rest of the workshop!