Coping with Coping

1) I have very little to add to the commentary on Reagen's death. However, I will say this: there is no reason that the flag should be at half staff for 30 days. After Sept. 11, the flags were at half staff for a whole lot less time. Just about a week around here, if I'm remembering correctly. And, call me crazy, but that was a whole hell of a lot bigger deal that the death of an ex-president at 93.

2) I told (okay, okay, emailed. I'm a wuss) my mom that Em and I don't plan on going down to hang out with my second cousins until their parents stop pretending that we are "roommates." I hate that my mom won't stand up for me about that. I hate that she is so much like them in not thinking it's appropriate for children. I miss Suzanne.

3) There is a new feature at the local Target store. Now while you are waiting in line at customer service, you are encouraged to take-a-number. What is up with the hyphens?

4) My protocol for making competent cells was unclear and made me miss the last bus to the park and ride (or should that be the park-n-ride?) yesterday. Em and I took a different bus which got us close enough that we could walk to the car. We would have just taken the bus home and gotten the car today, but neither of us was too sure how serious they were about no overnight parking.

I had to evict more sparrows from the purple martin house this morning. I'm getting sick of doing that. I wish they would just get the hint already. I'm beginning to give up hope that the martins will move in. Maybe the mortgage rates just aren't low enough, but hey, we've got township taxes, what more can I do? It's good enough for the sparrows, but, then again, they aren't picky.

An Eastern Phoebe is nesting in our garage shed. That makes me very happy, but I worry that she is raising a cowbird.

I've been super busy at work, although I'm not getting nearly as much data as I'd like. Too much misc tasks, not enough experiments. The lab floor got waxed on Tuesday night. It was very nice and shiny yesterday morning. Unfortunately the custudians took some of our radioactive waste out into the hallway and left it there all night. That's not generally recognized as the safest way to treat radioactivity. Oh well, at least it was only the S35, the really high energy stuff stayed in the lab.

I am supposed to present at lab meeting today, but I'm not sure how to show my data. I hope I understand this project enough to field questions.

I seem to be getting a lot of hits from people searching on Charity Nebbe. That makes me happy.